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Heriot-Watt University creates botanical library
Edinburgh-based Heriot-Watt University has created a botanical library, which aims to help Scottish gin producers ensure their products meet import standards.
Heriot-Watt’s gin flavour wheel
The library features 72 botanicals that can be grown in Scotland, including nettles, lavender, dandelion and chagga fungus, which grows on birch trees.
The team at the university’s International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD) have spent three years distilling the botanicals individually.
The library was originally created to help Scottish gin producers make new products. It is now being used to ensure Scottish gin meets the import standards of countries like the US.
Several members of the Scottish Craft Distillers Association (SCDA) have used the library to create new gins and botanical liqueurs.
According to Scotland Food and Drink, 70% of the gin in the UK is produced in Scotland, and sales are expected to hit £1.5 billion (US$1.9bn) by 2020.
Matthew Pauley, assistant professor at the ICBD and a drinks industry consultant, 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 mouthfeel 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.”
Dr Annie Hill, associate professor at the ICBD, said: “We were approached by one gin producer who had listed the botanicals in their ingredients, and their sample was held up by US customs.
“We learned that 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.”