A NEW library of plants and fungi will keep the country’s gin industry in good spirits, organisers say.
The facility at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh contains a wealth of information on native ingredients that can be used to flavour the popular drink.
Scientists have spent three years distilling and cataloguing the flavour, aroma and “mouth feel” of more than 70 plants, including nettles, clovers, dandelion roots and fungi.
Now the team at the university’s International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD) aims to help the booming gin sector develop new varieties by cutting the cost and time needed for research and development.
It is hoped that the effort will help Scottish gin meet the strict import standards imposed by key overseas markets like America.
“Several” members of the Scottish Craft Distillers Association (SCDA) have already used the library to concoct new gins and botanical liqueurs. Associate professor Dr Annie Hill said: “Around half of the botanicals in our library are not listed on the USA’s Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS) list. Any Scottish gins that list these botanicals as ingredients could be banned by US customs without any investigation or questioning.
“We are now testing the potentially toxic compounds that could be present to demonstrate they are safe for consumers and not above threshold limits. This will give gin producers the evidence they need to prove their gin is safe.
“Botanicals pose very little danger to gin drinkers in the UK or the USA – the relative concentration of alcohol outstrips any other more harmful compounds.”
Scotland Food & Drink expects to toast gin sales of £1.5 billion by 2020 as the popularity of the beverage continues. By that time, it will outsell Scotch whisky, according to projections.
As much as 70% of all gin produced in the UK is made in Scotland and already some retailers report that their customers prefer the colourless spirit to the amber nectar.
Supermarket chain Aldi sells more than 9000 bottles of gin, compared to 6700 bottles of traditional whisky, across its Scottish stores every day.
Matthew Pauley, assistant ICBD professor, said: “By definition, gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Creating a new gin that stands out in the market requires botanicals that should bring a subtle flavour, aroma and mouth feel that complements or enhances the juniper.
“Our botanical library will help gin producers create Scottish gins with locally available botanicals that are available in dried form, from a sustainable source, to ensure consistency and availability.
“The library enables us to tell producers how a botanical will perform if it is added before or after distillation.”
Pauley continued: “By coming to the lab, they can experiment and explore new flavour palates, with less trial and error.”
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