Marc Watson on Pink Gin
Marc Watson is the Distillation and Maturation Manager of Halewood International/ Distillery Manager John Crabbie & Co. Marc’s ardent vision to create great spirits led him to study at Heriot Watt, achieving his Master’s degree in brewing and distilling before going on to work and release award-winning products in a number of roles with some well-known industry veterans – most recently at Eden Mill as Head of Product. Combined with Marc’s impeccable knowledge of distillation, his recipe book and unique access to John Crabbie’s archive (containing time-honoured spirits-making secrets with a few surprises thrown in to keep him on his toes); he has been involved in the development and imminent release of a number of exciting new products.
What is Pink Gin?
Traditionally pink gin was Plymouth gin mixed with water and ice with a dash (or more) of Angostura bitters, giving rise to its unique pink colour. It was garnished with lemon rind and was a favourite of the Navy in the 1800s. At the time, the bitters was used as a treatment for sea sickness, and those at sea favoured the sweetness of the Plymouth gin to offset the harsh flavour of the Angostura. In the gin resurgence of today, there is no definitive answer to ‘what is pink gin?’. It has transcended the simple Navy cocktail and is en-route to becoming its very own subcategory of gin. We are now seeing a huge breadth of styles, production techniques and flavours. Much like clear gin, pink gin allows the distiller huge freedom of expression in its flavour profile and, combined with its colour, creates a lavish platform for distillers to entice not only new gin drinkers but other gin enthusiasts.
The Future of Pink Gin
I think the future of pink gin and its clear counterpart might create a distance between the current close family bonds. I think we will see clear gin endorsing more traditional flavour profiles; where it is the skill of what the distiller can do within the confines of the copper still that makes a product great. I think pink and flavoured gins will trend in the opposite direction and we will see an even larger subcategory develop where people create different flavours combinations, colours and addition techniques to achieve great products in their own right. Gin is hugely exciting with the number of different botanicals, individual flavour profiles, production styles and the versatility of the spirit that keep people engaged and invested in trying different gins. I think that ultimately drinkable products with great flavour is the pinnacle of achievement and with the continued development of truly exceptional gins; flavoured gins and pink gins will continue to grow, innovate and mature within this exciting category.
The Rise of Pink Gin
Gin is exciting, accessible, youthful and playful and I think pink gin is a further extension of that. The flavour profiles of pink gins are generally sweeter; more berried, floral and have a completely different focal point than those more traditional gins that we used to seeing. It lends itself to be a gateway product for people experiencing gin for the first time or coming back to the category to see what the fuss is all about. Gin offers something different to everyone, with the huge breadth of flavours and styles it can be hugely versatile not only for the bartender but for the home bar. Combining sweetness, exciting colours, unique serves and different flavours have made pink gin more accessible, culminating in a perfect storm of success that has seen even the largest of the gin producers develop their own pink expressions and fuel the trend even further.