The bottle of Edinburgh Seaside Gin was purchased by From the Gin Shelf. Review opinion entirely that of the author.

By Euan Harris

By Euan Harris

Euan is the founder of From the Gin Shelf and a gin enthusiast. An official supporter of International Scottish Gin he also writes for the Scottish Gin Society.
A few months ago I reviewed the original Edinburgh Gin. This time up, it’s the turn of another of their expressions – Seaside – made in partnership with students from Heriot-Watt University.

Story.

Inspired by Scotland’s east coast

Edinburgh Gin was founded in 2010 and originally distilled at Langley, before production was moved to Scotland’s capital in 2014. You can read more about the brand’s backstory here.

Edinburgh Seaside Gin has an interesting story in itself. The distillery has a knowledge transfer partnership with nearby Heriot-Watt University, one of the few institutions in the U.K. where you can acquire a degree in distilling. Indeed, Edinburgh Gin’s own head of distilling, David Wilkinson, is an alumnus of the programme. And it was with students on the Heriot-Watt MSc that Edinburgh Seaside was made.

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Together with David Wilkinson, four students from the programme were selected to work on the project. They scoured an east coast shore near Edinburgh to select botanicals including bladderwrack seaweed, scurvy grass and ground ivy.

Seaside Gin was launched to coincide with World Gin Day in June 2015.

The Process.

Botanicals used

The ingredients used in Edinburgh Seaside Gin differ quite a bit from their Classic Gin. For starters there are 9 botanicals in the Seaside recipe as opposed to 14. As well as the signature botanicals mentioned earlier (bladderwrack seaweed, scurvy grass and ground ivy), there are also the more traditional gin botanicals of juniper, coriander seeds, angelica root, orris root, cardamom and grains of paradise.

When talking to Head distiller David Wilkinson he explained that Italian juniper is used, as opposed to the North Macedonian found in the Classic. It was chosen for Seaside Gin due to its more piney and spicy nature, as opposed to the North Macedonian, which is sweeter in nature.

As with Edinburgh Gin Classic, Seaside uses a combination of both maceration and vapour infusion techniques in the distillation

How Edinburgh Seaside Gin is made

While the botanicals differ, Edinburgh Seaside follows a similar process to its sister expression. As with Edinburgh Classic the distiller uses a mixture of maceration and vapour infusion.

The six traditional botanicals are macerated in grain neutral spirit. The liquid is slowly heated and begins to evaporate, rising up through the still and passing through a botanical basket containing the foraged ‘seaside’ ingredients. As it travels through the botanical mix in the basket, it gently picks up the flavour, before condensing back to liquid.

The gin is cut back with water to bottling strength of 43%, the same as ABV as the Classic.

BOTANICALS

Signature botanicals: bladderwrack seaweed, scurvy grass and ground ivy

Traditional botanicals: juniper, coriander seeds, angelica root, orris root, cardamom and grains of paradise.

RECOMMENDED SERVE

How to serve Edinburgh Seaside Gin

  1. Add plenty of ice to a lowball glass
  2. Pour in 50ml of gin
  3. Add 50ml of premium tonic water (e.g. Fever-Tree Mediterranean)
  4. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme and/or a grapefruit twist

Edinburgh Seaside Gin has a delighful floral aroma. It’s sweet, with subtle salinity in the background

Tasting notes.

What does Edinburgh Seaside Gin taste like?

On the nose, Edinburgh Seaside Gin has a delightful floral sweetness. There’s grassy juniper there too with an ever so subtle salinity in the background. Reminiscent of breezy walks along the coarse coastal shores of Scotland.

To sip, the signature botanicals really sing, with salty sweetness from the bladderwrack and spice from the scurvy grass particularly prominent.

The sweet grassy notes are supported by warming spices, with gentle maritime notes on the finish. It’s a beautifully balanced gin.

With tonic

I absolutely love the original Edinburgh Gin with tonic, but the Seaside takes it up a notch even still.

As expected the spices die away a little and the sweet florals open up. I get a little more citrus from the coriander too. The briny notes remain throughout but balanced perfectly by the sweetness.

For a refreshing G&T you can’t go wrong with the distiller’s recommended serve of grapefruit peel and a sprig of thyme, topped up with Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic.

REVIEW VERDICT.

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OVERALL RATING

  • BRANDING 79% 79%
  • ORIGINALITY 88% 88%
  • TASTE 97% 97%

Summary

Edinburgh Seaside Gin is a truly stunning gin and one which I come back to time and again. Maritime-inspired gins are somewhat in vogue at the moment and Edinburgh Gin were relatively early to the game.

Despite the increasing number of brands who have gins of a similar theme, for me Edinburgh Gin stands in its own unique space. The fact that it was made in partnership with students learning their trade brings a lovely backstory. And under the watchful eye of David Wilkinson they’ve managed to come up with something really special.

FAQs.

How much does Edinburgh Seaside Gin cost?
Expect to pay around £35.

Where can I buy Edinburgh Seaside Gin?
Edinburgh Seaside Gin is available from the distillery’s website, as well as online retailers such as Amazon.

What garnish goes with Edinburgh Seaside Gin?
Edinburgh Gin recommends a garnish of grapefruit peel and/or a sprig of thyme.

What percentage ABV is Edinburgh Seaside Gin?
Edinburgh Seaside Gin is 43% ABV.