Our Story

From a pipe dream around a kitchen table to a global brand.

Getting Started...

Building The Distillery

We built our distillery ourselves, from scratch, in the heart of Edinburgh! When we opened Summerhall Distillery, it was the first exclusive Gin distillery to be established in Edinburgh for over 150 years.

Pickering's Gin Launch

With 350 bottles of delicious Gin a party was thrown at Summerhall Distillery, to celebrate the official launch of Pickering's Gin.The drinks were flowing and our stills were glowing as guests marvelled at our distillery - not a single drop of Gin was left!

Our First Big Break

In July 2014, only 4 months after launch, we hit it big becoming The Official Gin of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo with the release of our Navy Strength Gin. Bottled at 57.1% and topped with a unique bearskin cap.

Incredible Growth...

Amazing Partnerships To Be Made

With Gin tasting so good under our Pickering's Gin brand, others wanted their own. Amazing partnerships came to be including The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Cunard Cruiselines and The Royal Yacht Britannia.

The First Gin-Filled Baubles

The world went crazy for Gin Baubles! After going viral in 2016, Pickering's Gin Baubles made a mere appearance online as 30,000 units sold out in just 82 seconds in 2017.

The Pickering's British Airways Centenary Gin

Matt and Marcus set out to create a tipple that would taste as good in the sky, as it did on the ground. Working with renowned airline, British Airway to engineer a Gin for high-altitude.

Our Current Partners Include...

Cunard Logo
The Royal Navy
The Royal Yacht Britannia Edinburgh Logo
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Logo
Gleneagles Townhouse
Anker Amsterdam Spirits Logo
UCVF Logo

The Modern Era

From G&T to Sanitiser

Whilst the world was in lockdown our team diverted Gin production to hand sinister. Stepping up to produce 200 thousand litres of hand sanitising spray to help frontline services and during the Pandemic.

Rebuilding Through E-commerce

It's safe to say the pandemic did a number on our business... But it also forced us to innovate in other areas, specifically e-commerce. We went from next to nothing to over £300,000 in online sales during 2020 especially thanks to our hit Survival Kits.

Launching Our First Whisky

We've kept this hidden spirit close to the nest. We’ve worked hard to create this beautifully blended scotch whisky. Wise beyond its years, it’s the inaugural release before the launch of The Broody Hen Single Malt.

The people behind Summerhall Distillery

The fantastic array of talent, who've made our story possible.

Meet the Team
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