Full name: Martin John Murray
Role: Owner & Distiller
DOB: 02/05/81
Birthplace: Thurso
Twitter: @rockrosegin
Website: www.rockrosegin.co.uk
Fun Fact: “I loved doing magic tricks as a child. I wasn’t very good, but I still try them out on the children.”
J: So, Scottish gin! Not entirely unheard of, but not very common. Why did you decide to get into distilling, and why did you pick a spirit not traditionally associated with Scotland? How did you learn to distil and how has the journey been so far? You’re studying for a pHd in brewing and distillation, right?
M: Gin is the tipple of choice of my wife, Claire. I was directed towards gin, and soon became fascinated with the different tastes from the botanicals. 70% of the UK’s gin is made in Scotland, but not many people know that. I learned distillation at Heriot Watt University when I was studying my Masters in Chemical Engineering. I have gone back there to do my post graduate diploma and my aim is to be a doctor in distillation!
Please tell us about how you came to your botanical recipe – why did you choose the ‘rock rose’ and how long did it take you to get it ‘perfect’?
We worked with a local ranger, Mary Legg and a local herbalist, Brian Lamb, and they helped identify local botanicals growing in Caithness that would be suitable for gin. I spent long nights trialing these and exotic botanicals to understand how the taste changed over time and in the presence of alcohol. Once we had the license, I made over 50 trial recipes to get our final gin recipe.
We had help from the Chester Hotel and Orchid in Aberdeen, and also Heads & Tales in Edinburgh to get feedback on our product. The name comes from Rhodiola rosea, which grows in the rocks in Caithness.
The first batch sold out by pre-orders within 48 hours – how did you build such a buzz?
Claire did a fantastic job on social media, but also used hand written letters to let people know that we were making gin in Dunnet. It worked brilliantly – much to our amazement.
You’re all the way up in Caithness, Scotland, right? What’s happening in Caithness? (Asides from you guys!)
Caithness is such a great place. We have cathedral skies, the northern lights and some of the best surfing in the world. The food and drink up here is fantastic too. Great chocolates from Caithness Chocolates, tasty cakes and biscuits from Reids of Caithness and the best whisky in the world from Old Pultney! There’s also the excitement of Wolfburn Whisky and John o’Groats Brewery.
Do you have a perfect serve? If so, please tell us what it is!
Rock rose gin, Fever Tree tonic and toasted rosemary. I could talk all day about how much I loved the revelation of toasted rosemary in our gin.
Where do you see the UK gin scene going in the next few years, and what will your part in it be?
Micro distilleries are going to pop up all over the country. Soon most counties will have their own local distillery, and I think that this will be fantastic for the industry. The creativity of the small distilleries is refreshing. With the formation of the Scottish Craft Distillers Association, the small distilleries will get the opportunities to work together and take our products across the globe.
The opaque ceramic bottle- please tell us more about why you picked that?
It links back to the old genever bottles, and I like this a lot. In addition I felt that the ceramic bottles felt more like a hand crafted product. The ceramic bottle also protects the gin from sunlight, which is known to affect flavour compounds in drinks. I wanted to protect our gin.
What’s a ‘day in your life’ like? Could you give us an insight into the distilling business?
A regular distilling day starts at 5.30am, and I turn on the still for 6. The still warms up over 2 hours whilst I have a coffee and catch up on emails. Then the gin distillation begins and I make Rock Rose for about 8 hours. I then stop the distillation, close up the distillery, and walk across a field to get to the house.
What’s your greatest/most memorable professional moment been, so far?
Being shortlisted for the Scottish Excellence Awards in the ‘Best Alcoholic Drink’ category. Given the quality of Scottish spirits being produced at the moment, getting into the final 3 that is quite special.
Where do you get your ideas?
I love reading on the history of Scottish drinks. Particularly what was drunk in the Highlands in times gone by.
What’s your philosophy, summed up in a sentence?
I always stick by “things are never as good as they seem or as bad as they seem”. I think it keeps me sane.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had, how did you overcome it, and what did you learn from it?
Equipment not working 24 hours before our bottles were due to go to buyers. Looking back it was a complete disaster, but we found a solution with my father-in-law, and we learned that when things go wrong don’t be afraid to ask for for help.
Who’s the person who’s most inspired you in your work – food industry or otherwise. Is there anyone that you draw inspiration or strength from?
My mentor, Jim Knowles, has a great business mind and I am learning from him each time we get together. He has a great knack of thinking about things that work for our business.
Do you have any specific culinary influences?
I love spicy food. We spent time traveling from Delhi to Kerala, and I love the variety of food. Madhur Jaffrey‘s Ultimate Curry Bible is my go to cook book.
What do you enjoy most and least about what you do?
I love getting up in the morning and knowing that I can decide how my day goes. There is not much that I dislike. The wind and rain on the walk to work can be tough in the winter!
What advice would you give to aspiring drinks entrepreneurs who’d want the kind of results that you’ve had?
Prepare yourself for the long haul, and also the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur. It’s not easy and the hours can be long, but it’s definitely worth it.
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing instead?
Probably working on a rotation in Oil and Gas in an exotic location such as Iraq or Nigeria.
If you could have anyone – real or fictional, living or dead – try your gin, who would you choose and why? Assume that they eventually become a brand ambassador!
I think I would have to have all of the Marx brothers try my gin. I think that their Brand Ambassadorship would be second to none!
What’s your ultimate aim and goal for the business? If you could achieve anything with it, what would you pick? Money and reality are no obstacle, so shoot for the moon…
I would love to have a second still, win more awards and have our wee distillery known all over as a great place for unusual spirits.
Where next for you and the business?
Perfecting our botanical vodka recipe, developing our botanical garden and sending Rock Rose all over the world!
What would you say makes your gin so special?
What makes Rock Rose Gin so special is the carefully selected collection of local and traditional botanicals that we use. In fact, its name comes from one of these botanicals, the Rhodiola Rosea (a rose in the rocks), which was discovered on our first botanical forage along the Caithness cliffs and which adds a delicate floral note to the gin.
Apparently the Vikings used to pillage the Caithness cliffs for our ‘Rock Rose’ as they believed it would give them extra strength and make them live to 200!
And we always ask three customary ridiculous questions…
If you were given an infinite budget but had to spend it all on entirely frivolous stuff, what are the first 3 things you’d buy, and why?
A hot air balloon because it just seems fun, and I could pick up the paper with it.
A hoverboard, because it is 2015 and we all seen what this year is like in Back to the Future II.
An island, just so I could say that I own and island and so I could get some use out the hoverboard and hot air balloon!
You’ve been forced to (somehow) convert the business into either a death metal band or gangsta rap group, and commercial success is guaranteed. So, which would you choose, what would your first album be called, what would the music be all about and who would you collaborate with in the music industry?
Death metal band and our album would be called “Polonium Supper Please”. The music would be themed on poisonous metals and we would collaborate with Mercury Records.
[Ed: *is impressed!*]
If you had to have any character from Egyptian mythology come and work with you at Rock Rose Gin, who would you employ?
I know nothing about Egyptian mythology! After a wee search, I have concluded I would take Tefnut, the goddess of water. As the goddess of water I would divert the rain away from Scotland for at least a week in the summer!