TRBusiness chatted to Hendrick’s Master Distiller Lesley Gracie at a special sundowner event during TFWA WE to mark the launch of Hendrick’s Sunspell.

William Grant & Sons (WGS) has revealed Hendrick’s Sunspell gin, the latest addition to Master Distiller Lesley Gracie’s ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’.

Available exclusively in global travel retail from November, Sunspell draws inspiration from the sunsets witnessed on the wild western coast of Scotland and the vivid ‘golden hour’ so familiar to photographers, artists and sunset-chasers alike.

As the brainchild of Lesley Gracie (pictured right), the limited release Sunspell carries bursts of citrus and spice on the palate combined with the liquid’s recognisable fragrant rose and refreshing cucumber notes.

Imagery of a setting sun and a sky of pinks, purples and oranges adorns the bottle, while translucent rays of light appearing over a bright blue sea are set against a hot air balloon and airplane visuals to appeal to intrepid travellers with a penchant for cocktails.

Rufus Parkinson, Managing Director, WGS Global Travel Retail Managing Director commented: “We know how important global travel retail exclusives are for driving category growth, they allow curious consumers to discover something trusted and new they can’t find at home.

Master Distiller Lesley Gracie’s took inspiration from the unfolding views of the colourful sun set behind the island of Ailsa Craig on the Ayrshire coast to create Hendrick’s Sunspell Gin.

“Hendrick’s Sunspell is the ideal expression to release into the channel, as sunset is one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. Sunseekers the world over are captivated by the spell-binding magic of a setting sun on their travels year round, be it on a sandy beach or snowy mountain top, and will be keen to bring that magic home with them.”

Ally Martin, Hendrick’s Global Brand Ambassador added: “Hendrick’s Sunspell is a gin that encapsulates the refreshing colour and vibrancy of a setting sun and combines a magical burst of citrus brightness and lightness with a slight mellow warmth and spice and softness that slowly builds with each sip.

“Try it with tonic or apple juice or create a twist on an aperitivo and combine equal parts Hendrick’s Sunspell, Italian bitter apéritif and Red Vermouth topped with sparkling wine and garnish with three cucumber slices and an orange twist.”

One-on-one with Lesley Gracie

With a background as a scientist, Hendrick’s Master Distiller Lesley Gracie is more qualified than most to discuss the art of marrying different flavour profiles.

Having been approached in 1999 by Charles Gordon, the great-grandson of William Grant, she was tasked with fashioning an ultra-premium gin – and Hendrick’s was born.

Over the past two decades, Gracie has curated a range of botanicals, distillates and experimental liquids, housed away in the revered ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ in her laboratory at the Hendrick’s Gin Palace, which is located in the seaside village of Girvan on the southwest coast of Ayrshire, Scotland.

TRBusiness had the opportunity to speak to Gracie, who hails originally from Yorkshire, during a WGS-hosted launch event for Hendrick’s Sunspell during the the recent TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes.

TRBusiness: Tell us about the inspiration behind Hendrick’s Sunspell gin….

Lesley Gracie: The sunsets on the southwest coast of Scotland are just amazing; it’s where I spend a lot of time walking up and down the beach with my dogs. At sunset time, everybody stops and looks at it. That is the inspiration behind the drink; the element of relaxation, the beautiful orange sky and the citrus in it.

Describe those early days for Hendrick’s when Charles Gordon first approached you…

It was incredible because in the late 1990s, the popularity of gin was starting to drop a bit. Charlie Gordon, an amazing guy, said he wanted a new gin and as he owned WGS we thought we’d better do something! He had a few ground rules. Back in 1966 he bought two stills at an auction in London. One was a small pot still and the other a carterhead-type still. He decided he wanted both of these stills used in his new product.

He wanted something that was totally different to anything else that was available at the time, with a lot more depth and complexity, so we started to look at different elements to get a clear view. After a lot of work, we agreed to add things in the spiced, floral and green region. There was a good deal of experimentation and we eventually agreed on the botanicals to be used.

And how do you see the Hendrick’s brand today?

We’ve done so many different things but the one thing about them [the liquids] is they are different, all have a story behind them and are not following a trend.

Hendrick’s has been around for 25 years, still a relatively young brand and characterised by its often irreverent and quirky activations. When did this approach start?

It started right from the beginning with the liquid and Charlie was happy with it. Asked to show the bottle, we were expecting something tall, clear and elegant, which was the style of gin bottles at the time – it was completely opposite and that is how it has stayed through time. It is quite a dumpy bottle but we always do something completely different to others – it’s good fun.

What are your thoughts on the travel retail universe that Hendrick’s inhabits?

It’s fascinating… it’s representing the whole world here [in Cannes]. That’s the thing about Sunspell; everyone in the world gets a sunset. We started off with the two stills Charlie bought, then because of the way the Bennet still operates we had to get another Bennet-type still to keep up with capacity. Three stills weren’t enough, so we had to put in another set of three stills and we are putting in a third set at the moment as demand is going up.

Did I ever think it would be like this at the beginning? Probably not… When we first started, people were saying gin was losing popularity and we’ve managed to get around that.

A simple question to end… what is the origin of the Hendrick’s name?

When we started with Hendrick’s, Janet Sheed Roberts was at that point the oldest lady in Scotland and they asked her to name it. She was amazing and one of the first ladies to go to Edinburgh university. There was a gardener back at the family home called Hendrick, so that is where the name comes from.

Stay close to TRBusiness for an interview with WGS Managing Director Rufus Parkinson.

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