ONE SQ GIN2150Bottle White

We were invited along to Summerhall Distillery recently to taste the new gin distilled there and which has been specially crafted for One Square at The Sheraton.

The invitation said wear warm clothes – but we did not really understand why till after the presentation by Marcus Pickering about the making of the new gin with its 15 botanicals (that’s what makes it taste nice!) was over. We, and the other Edinburgh press and bloggers,  went outside into the courtyard at Summerhall where a fleet of rickshaws was ready to take us across The Meadows to the warm and cosy One Square gin bar. What fun to speed along the cycle path there and then, using the back entrance to The Sheraton from Morrison Street with bells a-tinkling, we arrived in real style and cheeks glowing from the cold!

You can see our little Steller report of the evening here:


There are 60 premium gins behind the gin bar at the Sheraton and they have conducted over 1000 personal gin tastings over the years with customers. Now three of you can win a personal gin tasting experience in our competition here for you and a friend.

At the launch General Manager Tristan Nesbitt explained: “Tonight is a culmination of the process of all the passion and expertise built up over three years which we have now gathered together and bottled. I think we have come up with something quite special!”

Marcus Pickering presented the bottle to the assembled audience and commented: “We were approached by One Square to make their gin but we did not realise that they wanted to be so involved. They gave us the list of 15 botanicals they wanted included in it and they described the style they wanted too.

“They have been up to the distillery to taste the gin on several occasions during this time. We worked very closely with them and now we have it spot on. We made the gin in our still which is called ‘Gert’. This is a still with a bain marie around it to heat up the gin to 79 degrees creating some gas with goes off into a condenser cooled with constant cold water. We have a 25,000 litre well under Summerhall which is where we get our water from!

“The gin is eventually collected in a tank where we measure temperature and density. Once the gin is perfect the gin is then bottled by hand in screen printed bottles made just around the corner. The tops are then all waxed by hand to seal them and the bottles are then delivered to the Sheraton!”

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The evening proceeded with a tasting of some gin and also the Signature Cocktail made with One Square Gin, pink grapefruit juice, heather syrup Galliano L’Autentico and what are called ‘muddled fennel seeds’. Served with a gold coated lime leaf this is a lovely refreshing way to enjoy the new spirit, although you may of course prefer the regular old gin and tonic. (that’s not just any old tonic but Fever Tree tonic which the Gin Concierge favour)

ONE SQ GIN2182Cocktail & Gold Leaf

Pickering’s Gin at Summerhall Distillery, Edinburgh’s is the first gin distillery to set up in the city in over 150 years.

One Square Gin is based on a unique recipe that has been exclusively created by One Square’s team of gin experts, known as the Gin Concierge, working hand-in-hand with Matthew Gammell and Marcus Pickering, founders of Pickering’s Gin at Summerhall Distillery.

The process is far more complicated than you would ever believe, and we were told it took about two years to get it right! The joint team perfected the recipe to create a small batch London dry gin that contains the carefully-considered botanicals including juniper, bog myrtle, pink grapefruit and Scottish heather. Mediterranean liquorice and orris root were added to produce a heady kick, while notes of lemon, lime and anise were combined to create a citrusy, easy-drinking gin. The gin has been distilled by hand and packaged in a stunning square bottle by Pickering’s Gin.

One Square, which launched three years ago, was one of the original bars in Edinburgh to develop its team with an expert knowledge of gin, ahead of the city’s gin renaissance. The bar offers more than 60 premium varieties of gin and hosts tutored tastings, with its coveted weekend and evening spots in high demand.

Tristan Nesbitt, General Manager of the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa said: “The One Square Concierge team boasts an exceptional knowledge of gin so the creation of our own One Square Gin seemed the natural next step. We are very excited about introducing this special new gin experience to our regular guests and local customers who share the bar team’s passion for gin.”

The Gin Concierge has captured the essence of One Square Gin with its Perfect Serve (£10.50) which is served over ice in a frozen balloon glass with delicious Fever Tree tonic and garnished with pink grapefruit peel and thyme. The distinctive One Square Gin Cocktail (£9.00) highlights the Scottish heather botanical with the addition of heather syrup which is served with Galliano L’Autentico in an old fashioned glass with a square ice cube and a gold-coated lime leaf.

Marcus Pickering, who worked alongside his co-founder Matthew Gammell of Pickering’s Gin and the One Square Concierge team to create and distil the gin at Summerhall Distillery, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with One Square to create this bespoke gin and to welcome guests to the distillery to experience first-hand the distillation process. It’s a truly exciting time in the gin world and the more gin brands that are around, the more offerings are available for consumers. The popularity of the product continues to increase and we are thrilled to be part of producing traditional high quality Scottish dry gin that has an amazing taste.”

For more information on One Square Gin please visit www.OneSquareEdinburgh.co.uk/one-square-gin. To book the Gin Package please call 0131 229 9131 or email grandedinburgh@sheraton.com

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.

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