Old Curiosity receives £250,000 to protect business

Edinburgh’s Old Curiosity Distillery has secured a £250,000 (US$308,500) loan to help safeguard its employees and the future of the company amid the pandemic.

The Old Curiosity held Gin Garden Tours prior to the coronavirus lockdown

The colour-changing gin producer obtained the loan from the Royal Bank of Scotland through the UK government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

It will provide The Old Curiosity, which currently employs 28 workers at its distillery and herb garden at the foot of Edinburgh’s Pentland Hills, with “essential” cash flow.

After suffering a “shortfall in sales”, the distiller adapted its business to make hand sanitiser to keep the company afloat.

Hamish Martin, managing director of Old Curiosity Distillery, said: “Like countless others, our business has taken a previously unimaginable hit since the outbreak of Covid-19.

“This is the most challenging period we’ve ever experienced, but Royal Bank of Scotland worked quickly to grant our loan – providing us with the necessary cash flow to survive the crisis and safeguard our family business for the future.

“Despite seeing such a dramatic shortfall in sales, we’ve used this time to think about the direction of Old Curiosity and are focusing on developing new products such as our hand sanitiser, non-alcoholic gin ‘spirit’ and gin-infused tea range until we can welcome the public to our garden once again.”

Old Curiosity’s distillery and Secret Herb Garden are currently closed to the public due to the government’s physical distancing measures. The site is offering contact-free collection of its homegrown herbs.

In February this year, Old Curiosity Distillery partnered with local hotel The Balmoral to create a new Scottish gin, called Baile Mhoireil.