Press release -

A ginuine treat!

With a signature song called ‘I’ve drunk every gin’ and a month’s visit to Scotland’s gin capital, performing in the Festival Fringe, an Australian cabaret act have become the perfect tonic for a new video promoting the country’s gin producers.

Self-confessed ‘ginthusiasts’ and the creative minds behind Mother’s Ruin: A Cabaret about Gin, Maeve Marsden and Libby Wood have teamed up with VisitScotland to showcase Scotland’s gin to audiences around the world.

The duo, who are currently performing at the Gilded Balloon, are renowned for their love of the drink, taking audiences on a musical tour of gin’s past and present with a closing number called ‘I’ve drunk every gin.’

In celebration of their Fringe appearance , Mother’s Ruin were invited to a special tasting session in the Royal Dick Bar at Summerhall Distillery before recording a special Scottish-gin inspired verse of their famous song for an exclusive VisitScotland video.

Maeve said"We had so much fun trying a few more Scottish gins. We've been making our way around the distilleries and bars in town (it's research, of course) and we can't wait to try a few more!"

With Scotland producing 70 per cent of the UK’s gin including three of the world’s top selling brands, the country is becoming a magnet for gin enthusiasts thanks to its ever growing collection of craft brands infused with some wonderful natural botanicals.

Whilst Scotland is better-known for producing single malt whisky, many visitors don’t realise we are also pretty adept at creating really good gin and in recent years, the sector has enjoyed a notable surge in growth and interest.

There are now over 50 producers in Scotland, between them producing around 100 different gins – with almost half offering, or soon to offer, visitor experiences including tours or themed events.

Here is some ginspiration to get you into the spirit:

  • Start your gin journey with a musical history tour. Mother’s Ruin: A Cabaret about Gin, will be performing at the Gilded Balloon until 27 August (excluding 21August) and is a must for gin fans old and new.
  • Edinburgh is Scotland’s gin capital drinking more gin per head than any other British city. The love affair began way back in the 1700s when the first bottles of fiery Dutch Jenever were traded into the Port of Leith.
  • If you want to learn more about the mystery behind the gin-making process try a distillery tour. Dunnet Bay Distillers makers of Rock Rose Gin, Isle of Harris Distillery and Persie Distillery in Perthshire all offer tours, while Edinburgh Gin, Glasgow –based Crossbill Gin and Lilliard Gin in the Scottish Borders even has a ‘make your own’ experience.
  • There are now gin distilleries the length and breadth of the country from Shetland Reel way up in Unst in the Shetland Isles to the newly opened Crafty Distillery based in Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway.
  • Putting the tee in a G&T, Eden Mill near St Andrews in Fife uses hickory wood from retired traditional golf clubs to produce its Golf Gin. Well Scotland is The Home of Golf after all!
  • If you like your gin coupled with a slice of adventure then try your hand at LockedIn the Distillery with Pickering Gin – this unique escape game challenges gin fans to solve the clues, save the distillery and most importantly save the gin!
  • Get away from the stress of daily life in your own gin paradise. Wild Thyme Spirits - Gin Lover’s Retreat on the Isle of Colonsay couples the stunning surroundings and pristine coastlines of the Inner Hebrides with a relaxing stay in beautifully appointed accommodation and an itinerary comprising of cocktail-making and special gin tastings.
  • Scotland's first sustainable eco gin can be found inBeinn An Tuirc on the Torrisdale Estate. Kintyre Gin is produced using power from the estate's hydro-electric system.

For more information about gin in Scotland visit: visitscotland.com/scottishgin

To learn more about Mother’s Ruin check out: www.mothersruincabaret.com

Topics

  • Tourism

Categories

  • consumer pr

Regions

  • Scotland

Notes to Editors

  • Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
  • VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
  • The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
  • This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
    1. Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
    2. Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
    3. Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
    4. Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
    5. Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
    6. Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
    7. Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
  • To ensure everyone can safely enjoy Scotland’s amazing countryside and landscapes, VisitScotland encourages all visitors to fully respect their surroundings by behaving in a responsible and appropriate way.
  • VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
  • The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
  • Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
  • The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit www.gov.scot or follow @scotgovESIF
  • For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
  • Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
    • 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology
  • 2017 is the year to delve into the past and discover Scotland’s fascinating stories through a wide-ranging variety of new and existing activity to drive the nation’s tourism and events sector, boosting tourism across Scotland.
  • The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology begins on 1 January 2017 and will end on 31 December 2017. It will build on the momentum generated by previous themed years in Scotland including the 2015 Year of Food and Drink, Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
  • The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Built Environment Forum Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums Galleries Scotland and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland.
  • The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
  • The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
  • For more information visit visitscotland.com/HHA2017 or join the conversation at #HHA2017

Contacts

Carrie MacWilliam

Press contact Senior Corporate Press Officer - National Contact for media enquiries on: Travel media (Scotland); Year of Young People; UK Marketing; Dundee; Fife; Angus; Perthshire 0131 472 2052