Something very intriguing and very delicious is going on in the basement of Orchid, the popular Langstane Place cocktail bar. That’s where the co-founders of the internationally award winning Porter’s Gin distil their special blend of botanicals. Now you can visit the micro-distillery yourself to find out more about the city’s favourite gin.
Ben Iravani explained, ‘Porter’s was created by myself, Josh Rennie and Alex Lawrence. We built our first still in the basement of Orchid. The still can distil botanicals at low temperatures, retaining their fresh, natural flavour. The low temperature process allows us to retain the maximum flavour and freshness, combining modern technique and classic principles’.
Josh added, ‘As we explain on the tour, there are a wealth of potential ingredients out there, and you have to balance each ingredient if you want to create a refined, modern classic recipe. That’s probably why Porter’s Gin won the IWSC Gold Medal for Best London Dry Gin in 2016 and a silver at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition this year and we have a host of international distribution deals. You can find Porter’s Gin everywhere from Canada to China, South Korea to Sweden, but you can also find it in many of Scotland’s best bars and specialist spirit retailers.
Alex continued, ‘Porter’s Gin captures light, fresh flavours from botanicals such as our Buddha’s Hand Citron. It’s all about natural flavours and fragrant aromas. The best way to discover more is to visit the micro- distillery for a behind the scenes immersion tour and insight into the process and unique botanical recipes. Then pop upstairs to Orchid for a Porter’s Gin cocktail or two.