One of Edinburgh's most popular city centre bars has launched a new Scottish craft gin campaign to help bring the flavour of Scotland's smaller, independent island distilleries to the capital for the first time.

Element on Rose Street has teamed up with a range of small distilleries from the Isle of Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde to the Isle of Coll in the Inner Hebrides to offer craft gin lovers a fresh new taste of the popular tipple.

Every two months from early 2022, Element is showcasing a new Scottish craft gin in the bar with a range of straight serves and cocktails, including Isle of Cumbrae Gin from February.

Isle of Cumbrae is one of Scotland's few all female-owned distilleries. It produces three core gins, including 'Nostalgin', which celebrates the strong emotional connection and nostalgia Cumbrae holds in so many people's hearts, especially those who have spent their childhood summers there. People who return to Cumbrae today bring their own children and grandchildren to visit, so the connection to the island continues to grow and thrive.

The key flavours in Nostalgin are lavender, orange, bramble, heather and milk thistle, most of which are native to the island. When visitors arrive on the island, they often say that they immediately feel a sense of relaxation and calm. This is why the lavender plays such a big part of the gin. It has been created to allow people to feel relaxed and enjoy the sea breeze.

Throughout February at Element, Scottish craft gin lovers will get the chance to sample cocktails inspired by the Isle of Cumbrae; including 'Who Run The World (Girls)' made with Nostalgin, Rhubarb Liqueur and Vanilla Gomme; 'Millport Muddle' made with Nostalgin, fresh orange, Pinot Grigio wine, lemon and Cassis; as well as 'The Caledonian MacBrayne Slip' made with Nostalgin, Bacardi Spiced, grenadine, maraschino cherry and cola syrup.

The team at Element have only selected smaller, independent distilleries with fewer than 10 full time employees and who only produce small batch Scottish craft gin.

Isle of Coll Hebridean Gin is also featured as part of the campaign. This beautifully smooth and balanced gin, is infused with 10 botanicals, including heather, bog myrtle and sea kelp foraged on the island. It's also proving to be a big hit with Scottish craft gin lovers already and putting Element on the map as the go-to Edinburgh venue to try out special new gins.

Element, which is located at 110-114 Rose Street, is owned and operated by Scottish Hospitality Group, Signature, which runs a portfolio of over 20 bars, restaurants and hotels in Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, Bridge of Allan and Aberdeen.

Aidan Barney, General Manager at Element on Edinburgh's Rose Street, said:

“Craft gin has always been a popular feature on the drinks menu at Element, but we wanted to go one step further and throw our support behind some of the unsung heroes of the Scottish craft gin world this year.

“We're really proud to helping bring some of Scotland's smaller, independent, and up-and-coming craft gin brands to Edinburgh for the first time.

“Our carefully selected line-up of distilleries will offer gin lovers the chance to introduce their taste buds to the authentic flavours and aromas from some of Scotland's most remote, wild and windswept regions, right in the heart of the city.

“Isle of Cumbrae Gin is already proving a big hit with Scottish gin lovers. It's great to see our campaign already getting off to a fantastic start and putting Element on the map as the go-to Edinburgh venue to try out special new gins.”

Bronwyn Jenkins-Deas from Isle of Cumbrae Distillery, said:

“We're thrilled to have been selected as Element's first ''in gin'' for 2022, bringing the flavours of the Isle of Cumbrae to Edinburgh.

“Scotland has many small island distilleries with fabulous stories that celebrate the uniqueness of their regions. We hope that experiencing some of these fabulous island gins in the nation's capital will inspire people to visit the islands and meet the makers.”

Element is open Wednesday to Thursday from 12pm-10pm (kitchen closes at 8pm), Friday and Saturday from 12pm-12am (kitchen closes 9pm) and Sundays from 12pm-10pm (kitchen closes 8pm).

For more information about Element and its craft gin campaign, visit www.elementedinburgh.co.uk and follow on social media, including Facebook www.facebook.com/ElementEdinburgh and Twitter https://twitter.com/element_ed 

For more information on Isle of Cumbrae Distillers, visit www.isleofcumbrae-distillers.com 

For more information on Isle of Coll Distillery, visit https://isleofcolldistillery.com 

For more information about Signature Group, visit: https://signaturepubs.co.uk 

Ends

Media contact:

Jonathan Perkins

Taste Communications,

07894 711 515

jon@tastecommunications.co.uk 

Notes to editors:

Photos:

1. Photos of Cumbrae Gin and Cumbrae Gin cocktails are available on Dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0b0p3rs9n8qm2yb/AABXYTpKzJPRJQt1E5S9Pjgba?dl=0

1. Photos of Element on Edinburgh's Rose Street are available on Dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/de5vq73037o5xha/AADB6C9qS6ErF8Xv0BSBDbfGa?dl=0

1. Photos of the Cumbrae Gin all female team are available on Dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2klebb1lylt9o4p/AABssoOvkHhbnqmen5Zwj9KIa?dl=0

Signature Group 

Inspired by his own experiences of working in the Edinburgh bar scene, Nic Wood launched Signature Group in 2003 with its first-ever venue, the Grassmarket's Black Bull. Now head-quartered in Edinburgh, Signature Group boasts a proud portfolio of 21 bars, restaurants and hotels throughout Scotland.

In 2018, it also introduced its own small-batch brewery, Cold Town. Each venue is unique, taking inspiration from its surroundings and customers, with food and drink offerings sourced locally to showcase the best of Scottish produce.  

Signature Group favours historic architecture and community involvement, aiming to provide positive growth and engagement with new each project. The company vision is to nurture a portfolio of destination venues for socialising and experiencing the best of Scottish, independent hospitality for locals and tourists alike. By investing wisely, growing sustainability and encouraging a sense of community and inclusiveness in the areas around its venues. Signature takes pride in building a reputation for great people, great products and, most importantly, consistently brilliant customer service.