NI scientists James and Martha are engineering gin flavours in Bushmills

Chemical engineers James Richardson and Martha Garbe are bringing a scientific approach to distilling spirits, the first being the Giants Basalt Rocks branded gin in a striking hexagonal shaped bottle that’s been inspired by the iconic Giant’s Causeway in Co Antrim.

Currently based in Coleraine, they are building their new Basalt distillery near Bushmills using knowledge of chemical engineering from studying at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

“We were very familiar with the process of distillation and how this operation works,” Martha, who is from Thurso in Scotland, explains. “The final two years of our degree course focused more on the business side of engineering, giving as a great understanding of project scoping, economics, sustainability and marketing of such projects.

“We wanted to apply the meticulous scientific approach from our engineering degrees to distilling, taking a step away from traditional craft distilling with an emphasis on the latest sustainable processes and cutting-edge technology. It’s something new, built on precision and accuracy as a way of creating the most incredible flavours and high-quality spirits.”

The idea to create the distillery for a range of spirits came from Coleraine native James during the coronavirus lockdown which they spent in Thurso, where Martha worked in Caithness General Hospital in an acute ward and high dependency unit for nine months during Covid-19.

“We both received first class Masters degrees in chemical engineering, and during this time we also gained a Certificate in Distilling from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. In September 2021, we moved over to Northern Ireland to start working full time on the distillery together,” she says.

Their chemical engineering background led them to choose an IStill stainless steel distilling system from the Netherlands instead of the traditional copper style used by most distilleries here. Giants Basalt Rock Gin is the first brand to be launched from Basalt Distillery.

“However, as innovation is what drives us, we do have more products that are already in the pipeline at the distillery,” she adds.

They looked at several sites for the distillery before opting for Bushmills, also the home of Old Bushmills and The Sexton Irish whiskeys.

“Finding suitable premises as a start-up was challenging, and we really wanted to have our own borehole which initially made things difficult,” explains Martha. “Both our families have been hugely supportive, and one day his grandad, who lives in the countryside, decided to ask his neighbours if they would be interested in renting out a warehouse to a new distillery coming to the area. The first neighbour he approached was happy to help us get on our feet, and he also had a 600ft borehole onsite that we would be able to use. This gives us great space on-site to grow. We are also in the process of getting the site ready to host visitors in the future.”

Martha and James are also now focused on lining up a network of distributors to help them sell the existing gin and other spirits being planned. While the new Basalt Rock Gin was launched in May, they have been running pre-sales and marketing activities since last October.

“These have been going extremely well for us,” she continues. “With the promising discussions currently taking place with distributors, as well as our pre-orders, we’re set for a very busy year. We hope to begin creating job opportunities within our first year of launch.”

In addition to the production and marketing of the gin, the enterprising couple is launching a ‘Distil Your Own Gin Experience’ for lovers of the spirit: “Our Basalt Experience is a three-hour immersive, hands-on experience that gives participants an in-depth introduction to the art and precision of distilling using iStill technology.

It will be hosted by myself and James. Guided through the fundamentals of gin distillation and recipe to development, participants will get the chance to pick and blend botanicals to create their own unique gin recipe.

“We’ll store their recipe at the distillery, should they ever want to have another bottle in the years to come,” adds Martha.

Each participant will be able to distil gin using disruptive, stainless-steel technology using an iStill Nano. They can control the iStill Nano on a designated iPad, where they can dial in chosen cut points for head, hearts and tail, and watch as the temperature changes throughout the run.

As the gin distils, they will also discover the history, the production and the botanicals behind Basalt Distillery’s Giants Basalt Rock Gin as they are guided through a tasting experience and enjoy some Basalt cocktails. Participants will then be able to fill their own bottle of gin with a personalised label before waxing and sealing the bottle to enjoy later.

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