Linlithgow
Linlithgow Palace stands on a low hill above a small inland loch. The name Linlithgow means ‘the loch in the damp hollow‘.
The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although maintained after Scotland’s monarchs left for England in 1603, the palace was little used, and was burned out in 1746. It is now a visitor attraction in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.
Linlithgow Distillery.
Unit 15 Little Mill Business Park,Mill Road Industrial Estate, Linlithgow,EH49 7DA
The inspiration
After spending 33 years in Information Technology and a health scare we found ourselves at a bit of a loose end, we were having a blue sky discussion one night when the subject came round to what will we do with our lives? With help from the gin cocktails we were drinking, Alyson said “Why don’t we make our own?” After all, we both have always loved the idea of having our own distillery.
Now Ross, a lifetime lover of malt whisky and bourbon had always enjoyed a nice gin and in the last few years had started to drink it as his preferred long drink. So the idea was born. Could we really pull this off?
The vision
The vision So the discussion very quickly came round to how can we be different?
There has been an influx of new gins on the market in the last 5 years and whilst most gins use a combination of similar botanicals, we needed to come up with something to make LinGin stand out.
How will LinGin be different? Our local botanicals. This is what makes LinGin unique and that the recipe has been honed by our local tasters to give a truly community developed experience.
‘Crafted with the spirit of Linlithgow’
Our first bottling
With the help of our Tasters we developed the recipe of LinGin and did our first bottling on the 15th January 2018. Our aim is simple, to make quality Gins using the best sourced botanicals and some locally foraged ones to make truly special Gins from Linlithgow – LinGin® and the Four Marys®.
As a family business, we wanted our Gins to have a local ‘family’ influence. So we recruited over 100 people from the local area to help develop LinGin. Our tasting panel have been instrumental in influencing our products and have continued to act as a tasting panel in refining our Four Marys recipes.
LinGin and the Four Marys are now available from our online shop and from outlets throughout the UK. We are expanding our list of stockists daily, so next time you are in a bar or restaurant, ask for a LinGin or Four Marys and if they don’t have it tell them about us!
Our stills
We have two stills. Both are high tech and fully progammable and give us the ability to reclaim all the heads and tails from each distillation.
Our 100L still is called Gleann Iucha (Gaelic for Linlithgow). Our 500L Still is called Scotty after Montgomery Scott who will be born in Linlithgow in the year 2222. If you follow Star Trek you will know who he is.
Lin Gin
LinGin is a classic London Dry style gin – using a maceration technique and direct one-shot distillation with the botanicals present in the mix at all times during the distillation pro-cess. No other flavourings, colourings or sweeteners (either natural or synthetic) have been added either during or after the distillation process. LinGin is bottled at 43% Abv.
The flavour profile on the nose is clean and fresh with an overall juniper-prominent, sweet citrus and herby aroma. When sipped neat, there is an overwhelming sense of smoothness to the gin, without any burning effect on the throat. At this point, the citrus is less prominent, instead the full herb and meadowsweet complement comes through and gives way to a warm, peppery finish. When tonic is added, the sweet citrus comes back to the fore and segues into an earthy, herby taste as the meadowsweet comes to the fore.
The final warm peppery notes are also accompanied by a slight spiciness but again there should be no burn on the throat. An overall classic London Dry gin with a complex flavour profile and a smooth, very drinkable finish. The entire experience should evoke memories of a stroll along the canal bank or round the loch on a warm summer evening and leave you looking for more.
Ross initially came up with a few sketches of ideas and we passed these over to our glass partners at Vetroelite. Their design team helped us to refine our designs and after 3 different 3D printed samples, we settled on our final design. The bottle features elements which are key to 5 of our most iconic
buildings/sites in Linlithgow:
- Linlithgow Palace – represented by the bottle shape and the horizontal ribbing on the bottle which signifies layers of stone and brick.
- St Michael’s spire – represented by the bottle shape and the impression of the Crown of Thorns spire when viewing the bottle from the top down. Also represented in our logo which is embossed on to the bottom of the bottle.
- St Magdalene’s Distillery – the last whisky distillery in Linlithgow which closed its doors in 1983 and was developed into apartments, represented by the cupola top to the bottle.
- The Maltings – the original malting house for St Magdalene’s distillery and latterly a brewery before being developed into apartments and is represented by the cupola top to the bottle.
- Not technically a building, but Linlithgow Loch is represented by the jade green colour of the bottle, which has been used throughout our branding since day 1.
May 2022
We are over the moon to have been recognised by the Industry for our bottle design. To have recognition like this truly inspires us to keep developing the brand.
