Tourism 2
Forever Edinburgh Launches ‘Meet Edinburgh’s Makers’
Forever Edinburgh Launches Meet Edinburgh’s Makers, a Toast to the City’s Distillers and Brewers
Forever Edinburgh is partnering with tourism businesses in Scotland’s capital to launch the ‘Meet Edinburgh’s Makers’ series, showcasing the creativity and craftsmanship of Edinburgh’s local producers.
This series celebrates the enterprises at the heart of Edinburgh’s world-leading visitor economy, starting with the dynamic distilling and brewing scene that has established the city as the new spirit of Scotland.
This series is a key initiative in the city’s inbound leisure visitor campaign, Experience the Beauty.
The initiative highlights Edinburgh’s most innovative makers and craftspeople, fostering awareness and appreciation for their unique qualities while inviting visitors to explore the city’s diverse tasting experiences.
Featured producers include Holyrood Distillery, renowned for its diverse range of whiskies and rum; Port of Leith Distillery, the UK’s first vertical distillery, leading the charge in sustainability; Summerhall Distillery, celebrated for its bold and inventive gin flavours; Secret Garden Distillery, which embraces a ‘seed to sip’ ethos with seasonal botanicals; and Vault City, known for brewing innovative sour beers using real fruit.
Interviews with key makers are now live on Forever Edinburgh’s website (https://edinburgh.org/meet-edinburghs-makers/), alongside a brand-new Brewers and Distillers Map showcasing over 60 businesses across the whole city. This guide invites visitors to discover the spirit of Edinburgh, featuring bars, pubs, pop-ups, retailers and distilleries, all easily accessible by foot or sustainable travel options, including bus and tram.
Map highlights include Hey Palu in the Southside, the Innis and Gunn Brew School in Tollcross, and the Pilot Brewery Tour and Beer Tasting in Leith.
Edinburgh has emerged as a prime destination for food and drink tourism, and has seen a 50% increase in businesses in the city distilling, rectifying and blending spirits, 25% increase in beer manufacturers and 35% increase in beverage manufacturers since 2019. A 2023 VisitScotland survey found that nearly half (46%) of visitors participated in at least one food and drink experience during their trip to Scotland.
The Brewers and Distillers Map will be featured on the Forever Edinburgh website, The Official Guide to Edinburgh, and promoted through digital channels, showcasing what makes it a unique, must-see UK city break all year round.
Cllr Cammy Day, leader of the City of Edinburgh Council said:
“Distilling in Edinburgh links back to the 18th century, and we have seen a revival of late with so many wonderful producers and brewers choosing the capital at their HQ. We’re really lucky in Edinburgh to have some of the best in the country, from the Port of Leith Distillery to Innis and Gunn, Edinburgh Gin and many more.
“The Meet Edinburgh’s Makers initiative celebrates Edinburgh’s renaissance as the true spirit of Scotland, and uses the stories of the dedicated craftspeople and their exceptional experiences around the city to draw more interest from our visitors.
“The Makers interviews and Brewers and Distillers Map, will exist year-round and are excellent resources no matter the time of year. This is a chance to sample some of Edinburgh’s finest offerings and appreciate the rich flavour profiles that define our city’s vibrant spirit.”
Callum Rae, distillery manager at Holyrood Distillery said:
“We’re thrilled to be part of the ‘Meet Edinburgh’s Makers’ series, which highlights the incredible producers that call Edinburgh home. With such a wide variety of experiences in the city, being showcased by Forever Edinburgh is a fantastic opportunity for our business.
“This campaign will bring more people through our doors and give them a chance to explore the great drinks Edinburgh has to offer. We’re delighted to be listed alongside other local brands and share in celebrating Edinburgh evolving from being the heart of Scotland to embodying its spirit as well.”
To find out more about the Meet Edinburgh’s Makers campaign and discover the Brewers and Distillers Map, go to https://edinburgh.org/meet-edinburghs-makers/
A CELEBRATION OF THE HEBRIDEAN ISLE OF RAASAY:
ISLE OF RAASAY DISTILLERY REVEALS NEW LIMITED-EDITION WHISKY, FULLY MATURED IN EX-MANZANILLA CASKS
11th May 2023, London: The Isle of Raasay Distillery has unveiled a new limited-edition expression in celebration of winning the coveted Tourism Destination of the Year Award at the Scottish Whisky Awards 2022.
The new ‘Distillery Exclusive – Tourism Destination of the Year’ is inspired by the rugged yet beautiful windswept Isle of Raasay, with the team choosing a unique blend of sherry and ex-Manzanilla Pasada casks to achieve a salty maritime note within the whisky that encapsulates the island’s climate. Overall, this maturation process delivers a whisky which is lightly peated with notes of chamomile, almonds and salted caramel and has an ABV of 63.5%.
Co-founder and Master Distiller, Alasdair Day said: “The Isle of Raasay is a very small rugged, windswept Hebridean island that lies off the East coast of Skye. An island off an island. With all of our spirit being matured on Raasay in our warehouses there has been a lot of discussion about our maritime climate and how this may influence the flavour characteristics of our maturing whisky. It was with this thought in mind, combined with the tradition of maturing Scotch Whisky in sherry casks that we selected a small quantity of ex Manzanilla Pasada casks for our Isle of Raasay Single Malt to mature in.
“Manzanilla is a very dry sherry, similar to Fino, made in the same way but at the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda next to the sea and not inland in Jerez. This results in a salty maritime note in Manzanilla which is not present in Fino sherry. It is this note that we were looking to promote in this very special release of our Isle of Raasay Hebridean Single Malt. It combines our maturation by the sea with the maritime influence of the Manzanilla sherry.”
Only 2,500 bottles of ‘Distillery Exclusive – Tourism Destination of the Year’ will be released which will be exclusively available to their online whisky club and at the Isle of Raasay Distillery from 17th May 2023 with a retail price of £95.