Isle of Wight

The botanicals for Mermaid Gin are harvested locally and sustainably on the Isle of Wight. The key ingredient is Rock Samphire which is collected from the coasts of the Island. This aromatic succulent grows on the cliffs and has a high vitamin C content. Sailors once used it against scurvy. Rock Samphire, known locally as "mermaid's kiss", also gave its name to the Mermaid Gin.

Boadicea, an aphid-resistant dwarf hop variety, comes from Ventnor Botanic Gardens on the island. Elderflowers are picked from local fields. Other botanicals in Mermaid Gin include grains of paradise, organic lemon peel, iris liquorice and angelica root, English coriander and, of course, juniper as the main ingredient in any Gin.

The Mermaid Pink Gin also uses strawberries grown in the sunny Arreton Valley. They are soaked in the liquid of the Gin for four days before it is distilled again. This Gin is less sweet than most Pink Gins and has no added sugar.

In addition to the Mermaid Gins, the Isle of Wight distillery also produces the HMS Victory Navy Strength Gin, named after the oldest serving warship in the world. It is produced at 57% and under a special license. One per cent of all sales of this Gin is donated by the distillery to support the ship's ongoing restorations. HMS Victory was built around 1760 and was famous as Admiral Nelson's flagship at the naval battle of Trafalgar. Today it serves as a museum ship and is berthed in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard.

The distillery is committed to sustainability and actively contributes to the protection of the oceans on its island. This involves progressively removing plastic from packaging and supply chains and using biodegradable materials where possible.

In the distillation process, the distillery works with column stills, using only the "heart" of each batch.

Friends Xavier Baker and Conrad Gauntlett founded the Isle of Wight distillery in 2014, both with extensive knowledge of spirits. Xavier has worked as a brewer for almost his entire adult life and is also currently the director of Goddards Ales on the Isle of Wight. Conrad, on the other hand, has a background in winemaking and was the founder of a winery.

It took about a year for the two of them to gather all the necessary licenses to operate the Island's first and only distillery and finally launch Mermaid Gin on 1 August 2015.