Edinburgh Gin Seaside Gin, 70cl

Product Information

In June 2014 they established their two gin stills and visitor experience and bar in central Edinburgh, working in partnership with Heriot Way Dept of Brewing and Distilling to establish a centre of gin excellence and innovation in Edinburgh. This enables them to produce historical authentic gins and develop new products.

Seaside Gin 5cl - Edinburgh Gin

In sitting down with this one, I realize I don't always have a "clean" philosophy as to how I feel about subtlety. With its signature botanicals listed as orange peel, mulberries, pine buds, lavender and lemongrass, the tasting notes aren’t too surprising – but sometimes surprises aren’t always best! There’s a big juniper hit up front on the nose, with citrus not far behind.

With the gin originally created at Langley Distillery, they launched their own distillery and visitor centre in 2014. (As a side note, it’s a great distillery to visit, with a range of tour options. There are two custom bottles proudly on display at From the Gin Shelf HQ from our own ‘Gin Making Tour’. Highly recommended!)

Edinburgh Seaside gin - The Gin.blog Edinburgh Seaside gin - The Gin.blog

That said, I think the real dealbreaker is simply that Gin Mare goes big on a near-identical flavor mission while the EG: Seaside goes home. Both are pleasingly salty, but the Gin Mare doubles down on being savory and umami. Both have supporting herbs in the botanical list, but you can actually taste the olives and rosemary in the Gin Mare. And even as a "premium" product, Gin Mare is cheaper. Did I mention I like Gin Mare?

This style of gin takes a neutral spirit and then adds juniper berries and other natural flavorings before it is re-distilled. After distillation, additional flavors (artificial or natural) and sweeteners may be added. Edinburgh Gin have two distilleries – the original west end location, which is also their visitor centre, and the Biscuit Factory in Leith, Edinburgh’s spiritual home of gin. Edinburgh started its long association with gin in the 1700s. The Netherlands was a key trading partner for Scotland and as a result genever, was imported in vast quantities into the city’s port of Leith. Inspired by the East Coast shoreline near Edinburgh, Edinburgh Seaside Gin is the product of a collaboration between the Edinburgh Distillery and Heriot-Watt University’s Brewing & Distilling MSC. They also give a nod to the Scottish Art Deco movement during gin’s glory days in the 1920’s by way of the bottle label and design.

Edinburgh Gin - The Gin Guild Edinburgh Gin - The Gin Guild

I absolutely love the original Edinburgh Gin with tonic, but the Seaside takes it up a notch even still. The gin has a pleasing sweetness and light salinity on the nose. On the palate, bold juniper is balanced against sweet minerality, grassy notes and a hint of spice.Edinburgh's gin is a perfect case in point. I gravitated to the "seaside" variation of their product lineup after a wholly pleasant experience with Gin Mare, and frankly I think I was expecting another riff on the same general style: a gin that doesn't lead with citrus or juniper but instead focuses on a core of savory flavors. It’s well known it takes at least three years to create a legal Scotch whisky. But this Scottish spirit takes just three days! On the first day the still is filled with grain neutral spirit. As with most Scottish gins, and indeed those from throughout the UK, Edinburgh Gin buy this in. To taste, Edinburgh Gin is a triumph! At 43% ABV, it’s certainly not the strongest London Dry you’ll find in today’s market, but on nosing the gin it’s surprising the intensity of the aromas. With tonic I’d pair it with either Fever-Tree Mediterranean or a classic Indian such as Franklin & Sons or Fever-Tree. The distiller’s recommended garnish of orange peel is where I’d go too, enhancing the citrus in the gin. If you want something a little sweeter, a wedge works well too.