A SCOTTISH distillery has hailed a significant new supermarket deal.
McQueen Gin is celebrating after launching a new flavoured gin with Aldi in Scotland and securing a UK wide listing in the supermarket’s spirits festival worth almost £350,000.
The new contract saw Callander-based McQueen create four new own-label gins for Aldi’s UK-wide spirits festival, with the total value of contracts secured with the retailer now approaching £2 million.
The new Toradh Rhubarb and Ginger gin is the first gin to be launched into Aldi Scotland’s core spirits line by the distillery since October 2018.
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McQueen Gin began working with Aldi in 2017 when they featured in Aldi’s first Scottish Gin Festival. Then, in 2018 the distiller created a colour changing gin which was launched exclusively into Scottish stores.
The firm said the gin enjoyed such success that it was rolled out across the UK as a special buy and is now a core line in Scotland alongside McQueen Pink Gin.
The partnership enabled McQueen Gin to significantly extend its distillery in 2019 and increase capacity by over 1000%. Dale McQueen, managing director, McQueen Gin, said: “The relationship that we have developed with Aldi over the past three years has been hugely important to the success of our business, helping us grow our turnover significantly and allowing us to invest in our distillery and increase capacity.
“We’ve created Toradh Rhubarb and Ginger Gin exclusively for Aldi which adds something new to Aldi’s core spirits range in Scotland and compliments our popular Colour Changing Gin and Pink Gin well.
“It’s great to work with a team who share our mindset and passion for Scottish produce. They and their customers hold true appreciation for the Scottish gin category, along with a strong desire to support innovation and experiment with new flavours and products, which makes for a very fulfilling partnership.”
Graham Nicolson, of Aldi, said: “We’re very pleased to launch a new core line product with McQueen Gin and would like to congratulate them on securing a UK wide listing in the Spirits Festival.
“This has been a real success story for both McQueen Gin and Aldi Scotland, and we are extremely proud of the relationship we have developed with Vicky, Dale and their team over the past three years. Supporting Scotland’s food and drink suppliers and producers is at the heart of our business, which is why we have committed to expanding our Scottish product range to 500 locally sourced products over the next two years.”
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