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From seed to sip: The Secret Garden
For sisters Isobel and Imogen Armstrong, running a gin distillery is more than a family affair; it is a passion project that brings together feminine pride, creativity, and sustainability.
On the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, lies a three-hectare garden oasis with 600 plant varieties – all nurtured with care using only natural, sustainable practices. The garden is the heart and home of The Secret Garden Distillery, one of Scotland’s few entirely female-owned gin distilleries.
Founded in 2012 on a derelict plot, the now thriving garden has been the source of botanicals for the attached gin distillery since 2017. The Armstrong family acquired The Secret Garden Distillery and its beautiful garden in August 2022. Since then, the plot has been transformed into a 100%-natural botanical haven where nature comes first.
“We not only inherited this amazing garden but also a dedicated staff that enables us to make unique gins we all feel extremely passionate about,” says Isobel. “When we acquired The Secret Garden Distillery, it mainly produced gins for contract distilling. Now, we have concentrated our efforts on building a gin brand that we can proudly call our own. Our head distiller, Mark Boswell, and head gardener, Erika Haeggman, have played key roles in bringing our vision of sustainable craft spirits to life.”
The distillery’s gins are made using four core Scottish botanicals: juniper, angelica, coriander, and winter savoury, which represent “all four parts of a plant”. All new products are distilled and diluted to 40% ABV using water from the plot’s borehole, bottled and labelled on site.
“We are extremely proud of our Wild organic gin, which embodies everything we strive to achieve with our products. Made using hand-harvested botanicals from our own garden, the gin showcases the wild and natural flavours of Scotland. It is a true representation of our dedicated craft from ‘seed to sip’,” Isobel says about the distillery’s flagship product.
As a new addition to the distillery’s range, an opportunity arose to make a small amount of vermouth when the distillery was left with extra grape juice used to make the small-batch Secret Garden Pinot Noir gin.
“We grow our own Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes at the site. This year, we decided to use the leftover grape juice from making our Pinot Noir gin to create two vermouths, both limited to only 400 bottles each, which we have offered to bars and restaurants, with a great response,” says Imogen. “Making more in the future when our harvests allow is definitely something we will be looking into.”
A modern update
With the upcoming second anniversary under new ownership, the distillery has introduced a new 700ml bottle made in Leeds using 70% recycled glass. The modern design includes ‘an intricate embossing on the glass of a juniper window that draws inspiration from a moon gate, a doorway to the garden’.
“The Secret Garden Distillery has made the investment into bespoke packaging to better compete in the market and take the opportunity to make our products even more sustainable. A key part of our strategy is to build on our unique identity,” says Isobel. “Our redesigned bottle not only embodies our brand story but also represents our core values of sustainability and environmental stewardship.”
Along with the new bottle, The Secret Garden has invested in sustainability in all aspects of the business, with a goal of achieving B Corp status in the near future.
Isobel shares her thoughts on the journey: “As we celebrate two incredible years of owning The Secret Garden Distillery, Imogen and I are filled with immense pride and gratitude. These past years have been a baptism of fire, with an immense learning curve, but we could not have asked for a better education. We have been on such a journey with the brand already in our short tenure, and we are so excited to share our next chapter soon.”
Summer Refresher
This summer Spritz is made with the seasonal citrus-driven Secret Garden Summer Gin, inspired by the owners’ Scottish and Australian heritage.
Ingredients
50ml Secret Garden Summer Gin
25ml Apple and rhubarb juice
25ml Orange blossom sugar syrup
Top with sparkling wine
Garnish with rhubarb and mint
Method
Combine all ingredients, excluding the sparkling wine, in a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake until chilled. Strain into a Highball glass over ice, and top with your preferred sparkling wine.
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