THIS TRAVELLING LIFE
Catching up with Hendrick’s Gin’s well-travelled global brand ambassador
On the road with Ally Martin of Hendrick’s Gin
Ally Martin, global brand ambassador for Hendrick’s Gin, spent as much as 50 per cent of his time on the road before the pandemic. Now in lockdown, he yearns for foreign climes and, nearer to home, the joy of picking a Scottish-grown banana at the Hendrick’s
Gin Palace.
Where have been the most memorable or interesting countries that your work has taken you?
In terms of memorability, the two countries that have really stood out for me are Lebanon and Japan. I love Lebanon so much. There is something really unique about it. The people and the culture there are amazing; the Beirut bar scene is really down to earth but, at the same time, really high quality. There’s an energy and vibrancy to the city which is really wonderful.
At the other end of the spectrum, places like Japan are amazing. I’ve enjoyed spending a lot of time in Tokyo. The bar experience there is so unique, the bars are generally very small – and almost impossible to find at times – and there is this care and attention that goes into every aspect of your drink that’s really amazing.
In normal times, do you spend a lot of time on the road?
Yes – it worked out in 2019 I spent maybe 40-50 per cent of my time on the road with Hendrick’s Gin which, looking back now when I’m locked inside a house in London, seems like a lot of time. Now, I spend maybe an hour a day walking down the street at most, so to think there was a period in my life where I was spending half of my time in another country is a bit mad.
At the time, it’s just part of your job. You fly off somewhere, you meet new people, see new places, and you talk about the things you’re very passionate about like gin, martinis, cocktails. It is awesome to be able to travel like that and you take it for granted a little bit at the time.
I really like travelling – you get this weird moment when you can completely zone out for a period of time on a flight. No one can call you and there’s something quite nice about that. You can watch shitty films and drink weird-temperature wine (because it’s been in altitude!) and you can just totally switch off.
If your flight was delayed, who would you most like to share a G&T with in an airport bar?
There would be few more fascinating people
to sit and have a conversation with than Roald Dahl – there’s something about the drabness of an airport which I’m sure he’d bring an amusement and a joy to. He’d have a tale or two to tell, I’m sure.
When we are back travelling again, what travel retail exclusive Hendrick’s gins or gin gift sets should we look after? Hendrick’s Amazonia. This is the gin inspired by [Hendick’s master distiller] Lesley Gracie’s time in the Amazon, back in 2013. She made a really small batch of gin right there in the jungle, Hendrick’s Karancuni – that gin doesn’t exist anywhere in the world now. With Hendrick’s Amazonia, Lesley wanted to create a gin inspired by her time there: the things she saw, the people she met, the smells, the sights, the sounds of living in the Amazon jungle for three weeks.
Brand loyalty aside, what are some of your favourite gins and gin cocktails?
I really like Porter’s Gin. The Scottish gin industry is so rich, diverse and interesting. Hendrick’s is a big part of that, obviously, but brands like Porter’s are also making some great liquid with thought, care and attention. Cocktail-wise, I love classics. A Martini, for me, is the best way to enjoy a gin – or a Negroni. However, when I’m going to bars around the world, I like to get a taste for what the bartender behind the bar wants to make; anything yummy is always going to go down well.
Tell us about a funny, strange, or unusual thing that happened to you on your travels? Once, we were in Finland with the whole ambassador team for Hendrick’s from around the world. It was the depths of winter and we were in Lapland, so it was freezing. We had this cabin on a lake and the lake was completely frozen over, the ice was five to 10 metres thick. Someone had dug us a hole in the ice and we had to strip down to our swimming trunks, jump straight in the hole, immerse ourselves in the water, and then run – and I mean run – back inside to the sauna. It is the most invigorating thing you can ever hope to do.
Once international travel gets back to normal after this awful pandemic, what destination (international or national) will be top of your list to return to?
It’s kind of funny, I’ve been to all of these totally magical places around the world, but I miss the Hendrick’s Gin Palace in Girvan, Scotland the most. I’ve not been to our distillery in a year now. There is something really grounding about going back to the Hendrick’s Gin Palace where everything started. It’s about being in Scotland, amongst that environment on the rugged coastline, in Lesley’s lab, and in the hothouses – maybe picking and eating a Scottish-grown banana. I find it really magical to be there, being in the country where I’m from. Nowhere else in the world can really match that.