Distilling
Old Back Row
HANDMADE
Artisan. Small batches. Purity, quality and precision. Just some of the words which sum up the exacting process and attention to detail that ensures Old Back Row has its beautifully smooth, light taste.
We take pride in craftmanship, favouring precise measurements by hand and eye. Distilled using an unhurried four-step process, Old Back Row is then bottled and labelled by hand. We’re proud of the quality of our gin, because it tastes as good as it looks.
Our Four Steps
Old Back Row follows a four-step process:
Step One
Mixing
Our botanicals are carefully measured and blended in ethanol and water. Then the mixture soaks for a day at room temperature, so the combined flavours and oils of coriander, chilli, lemon pepper, orris, angelica and orange peel infuse into the ethanol.
Step Two
Boiling
The ethanol is boiled at a temperature lower than water’s boiling point of 100 degrees Celsius. The ethanol vaporises from the top of Portugese copper stills, leaving the water inside.
Step Three
Condensing & Purifying
The ethanol vapour interacts with the cooler temperature of the copper inside the still. As it repeatedly condenses back into liquid through this purification process, the smoother our gin becomes.
Step Four
Tasting
Time for that smooth but earthy taste of Old Back Row, with water added from the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh. For extra purity, it’s run through Summerhall’s own charcoal filtration systems.
The Right
Botanicals
It’s the ingredients that matter, in the best tradition of a London Dry Gin:
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Succulent junipers from the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe
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Juicy oranges and lemons from the Mediterranean
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Earthy orris and angelica from Eastern Europe
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Piquant chilli from Central America
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Flavourful black pepper from South-East Asia.
