2019-06-01_Market_Watch

JUNE 2019 | MARKETWATCHMAG.COM | MARKET WATCH 45

Glendalough debuted Wild gin in the U.S. in June 2017. “The
wild botanicals we use are in our still within hours of being picked,
and that captures flavor,” McLoughlin says. “The vast majority of
gins are made with dried botanicals, and while there’s nothing
wrong with that, our gin has an earthier, fresher flavor as a result
of our distillation process.” That emphasis on fresh botanicals is
most acutely highlighted in one-off, experimental releases, such
as strawberry gin, seaweed gin, and beach leaf gin, among count-
less others. The distillery has also created a recurring series of
seasonal labels, made with botanicals that reflect a specific grow-
ing season. Just 2,000 bottles of each seasonal gin are produced.

While its ultra-small-batch gins are limited in scope, Glen-

dalough launched one new expression—Rose gin ($30-$35 a

750-ml.)—stateside earlier this year, marking the first perma-

nent line extension to the brand. The new release features the

same 30-plus botanicals as the distillery’s flagship, albeit in

different proportions, as well as three distinct additions: wild,

heritage, and damask roses. “Two-thirds of growth for the over-

all gin category has been driven by pink gin—it’s on fire,” notes

McLoughlin. “We’re hoping to be a major player in the pink

gin sphere in the U.S., though, for us, it’s more about making

a rose gin that just so happens to be pink.”

Pink gin has gained steam in recent years, riding the rosé

wine wave. Last summer, super-premium Italian gin brand Malfy

launched Rosa ($30 a 750-ml.), a deep pink gin infused with

Sicilian pink grapefruit and rhubarb. Malfy has amassed volume

of around 100,000 cases worldwide in the three years since its

launch, driven by four core expressions: Originale, made with

Italian juniper, coriander, and five other botanicals and cut with

Italian spring water; Con Limone, infused with Amalfi Coast

lemons and five additional botanicals; Con Arancia, a Sicilian

blood orange-infused expression made with six other botanicals;

and Rosa. This past April, Pernod Ricard acquired Malfy from

craft player Biggar & Leith for an undisclosed sum.

Steady Stalwarts

Pernod Ricard’s The Gin Hub unit also added to the burgeoning

pink gin category earlier this year with the launch of Beefeater

Pink, a strawberry-forward expression that’s part of the Beef-

eater lineup. The new gin is infused with natural strawberry

flavors, citrus, and juniper botanicals, and Pernod sees poten-

tial for the offshoot as a growth driver among the millennial

demographic. Sales for the flagship Beefeater have declined

by single digits in recent years, with overall volume slipping

by 5.1% last year to 443,000 cases in the U.S.

Innovation and careful attention to

ingredients, particularly among craft

distillers, are reshaping gin’s image

BY JULIA HIGGINS

Locally foraged wild botanicals are essential to gin production at

Ireland’s Glendalough Distillery (forager Geraldine Kavanagh pictured

left; co-founder and marketing director Gary McLoughlin above). The

distillery’s flagship Wild gin features over 30 handpicked botanicals.