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.