The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Crieff Hydro invests £500,000 as it prepares gin brand’s relaunch
Crieff Hydro Group has invested £500,000 on its distillery as it prepares to relaunch its gin brand 1881.
The gin distillery is housed within the Perthshire hotel group’s 132-bedroom Pe e b l e s Hydro Hotel, which also has the UK’s largest gin school.
The investment comes as the sixth generation of the hotel group’s owners, the Leckie family, has been appointed to run the gin distillery and drive forward a growth strategy for the brand.
Upon his appointment as brand manager, Charlie Leckie said the gin brand was attracting interest from nationwide retailers.
He said: “The UK’s love of gin shows no sign of cooling off so this is an exciting time to be taking the product to market.
“We ’ v e carefully rebranded every element of our gin bottles and 1881 brand. The bottle has
been redesigned with artisan illustrations for each flavour to represent our history and passion for the Borders and the product itself.
“We have ambitious growth plans for the 1881 gin brand with several new products already in the pipeline that are attracting the attention of nationwide retailers.”
The 1881 names comes
from the year the hotel was founded. It uses local botanicals and an onsite spring water source.
Stephen Leckie, chairman and chief executive of Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, said: “We’re embarking on an exciting new chapter, repositioning our 1881 gin brand to more accurately represent our heritage and values.”