The Food Producers: Fiona Walsh of Redcastle Spirits, Arbroath

In the drinks world, the word terroir is a well known one. It’s used to describe the properties of a very small area of land and the particular characteristic of what grows there. Yes, I hear you ask, but what has that to do with gin or rum, two spirits which are distilled, blended and flavoured with no particular indication of the specific patch from which they spring?

The answer is, none at all, but hear me out. Having spent time in the company of the lovely Fiona Walsh, I can tell you I’ve never met a company which screams local more than Toll House Spirits and its premium drinks brand, Redcastle. More of that anon.

Doing my research before our chat, I noticed that Fiona's company had been incorporated in January 2020, just weeks before The Great Plague. I winced on her behalf – what a time to be starting up. In fact it was more complicated than that. She had set up in business with a third party a few years earlier, but things hadn’t worked out. The new venture is a family affair, with input from husband John, sister Angela and business partner Shirley.

They don’t make the base spirit themselves, but the gin is made at the distillery next door, using their secret (of course) recipe. Similarly, the base rum is imported, but they are responsible for transforming it into the prize winning spiced rum. Come Covid, Fiona proved to be remarkably far sighted. Within a few weeks she urged distiller Lewis to start manufacturing hand sanitiser. At the same time, the company had taken the lease on new premises, a former plumber’s warehouse, part of which was converted to a retail space. This was allowed to stay open during lockdown, and did a roaring trade. The fact that their hand sanitiser sales to local people were at tiny margins helped to endear them and cement their place in the community.

Fiona says that the extra time they had was in some ways beneficial. Having had to rip up their immediate plans, new ideas were developed. They have a Broughty Ferry connection. Hearing that publicans in that area were setting up a food bank, they developed Broughty Ferry Spirits. £5 from each bottle sold went to the charity. Their products now include Panmure RFC Golden Rum, and a gin and rum named Red Lichtie, to mark their relationship with Arbroath Football Club.

Fiona is proud of the fact that their spiced rum contains no added sugar. It’s also the base for their coffee rum liqueur. In just a few years they have won a slew of awards. The one of which Fiona is most proud is the Gold Medal for the latter product won against international competition at The Global Rum & Cachaca Masters. The product was developed in association with Sacred Grounds Coffee Company, a local business specialising in ethical and sustainable coffee. They import the raw beans and roast them. At least a dozen permutations were tried until Fiona was satisfied.

Reviewing the product range I was puzzled to see Old Tom Blueberry Gin on the menu. I’ve seen the same Old Tom name on a gin from another company. An intellectual property dispute in the offing, perchance? I hadn’t realised that Old Tom is an established type of gin. The most common style these days is London Dry. Old Tom has added sugar. It is an older version, the sugar probably intended to mask the vile Mother’s Ruin base in the bad old days.

The company are also proud of their own green credentials. In the warehouse they found solar panels and a heat pump. Neither of these was being used. Well, they are now. The former fuel their bottling plant. The bottles themselves? Made of lightweight glass in the UK, with a return scheme for hospitality

customers. Want to be greener at home? Try the Bottle for Life initiative, with innovative refill pouches. As well as the coffee and blueberries, local rhubarb and raspberries are also used. I could go on, but you get the picture.

So, what next? While expansion plans are always being considered, Fiona stresses that they are not always looking for The Next New Thing. Consolidating relations with existing customers and providing great service will always be top of the agenda. When a carrier failed to turn up in time with a consignment for onward shipment to Glasgow, Fiona leapt in her van and got a replacement there with minutes to spare. You have a feeling that Big Distillers plc might not have done that.

Christmas is now a-comin', which makes it an ideal time to sample some of the Redcastle produce for yourself. If you can get up to Arbroath, the shop sells a wide range of Christmas gifts including chocolates, tablet and fudge, and candles. All locally made of course. (See website for opening hours.) If you can't make the journey, there's still plenty of time to order online at www.redcastlegin.co.uk/shop. Check out the website and see for yourself the full range of gins, rums and liqueurs. Try the award winning Redcastle Cold Brew Coffee Rum Liqueur as a Christmas digestif. And with miniatures starting at £6, make up a gift set for yourself and sample them all. Now for the REALLY GOOD NEWS-

Special Offer for Tom's Food! Readers

Until December 31, claim a discount of 15% by using the code TOM15 at the checkout. Applies to online sales only. Remember to say thank you to Fiona.

Redcastle, 18 Matthew Kerr Pl, Arbroath, DD11 3AX, United Kingdom

01241 439696  www.redcastlegin.co.uk