THERE seems to be a day set aside to celebrate anything from World Toothache Day to World Single-Tasking Day.
And tomorrow is World Vermouth Day – when the drink will be celebrated and toasted around the globe.
However, just what relevance does that have to Scotland? In a small Borders town brothers Dominic and David Tait will be joining in the celebrations as they are behind Scotland’s very own vermouth.
With Dominic’s background in the drinks industry and their family links, their late father George was in the for many years industry, working for William Grant and Sons and Innis and Gunn, and founded the Borders Distillery his business partners in 2018, it was probably a natural area for them to look at starting up a business and Valentian Vermouth was created.
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And while vermouth, often used in cocktail mixes, might not be seen as a product which could have a Scottish connection, the Tait brothers have found a way to do just that. They are hoping to put Scottish vermouth in the limelight and drag it from the back of people’s drinks cabinet when they are not quite sure what to do with or when it was last sampled.
After working on the product, they decided to launch at the end of 2019, however with the country ending up in national lockdown just months later they very quickly found themselves having to pivot the business and change some of their plans.
The Tait brothers' Valentian Vermouth could be a real contender on the Scottish drinks market. Photo by Kirsty Anderson.
They have taken an ingredient which is used to make whisky and put into their vermouth rosso.
Dominic Tait, 35, said: “Their vision is to reinvent the vermouth category by taking the brave step of using the new make malt spirit normally reserved for Scotch whisky, to bring a new dimension to a classic.
“Having grown up around the international drinks business and with experience in sales and marketing as well as the corporate aspects of the industry, they have pursued this goal with determination. Helping them to deliver this have been key partners in the Scottish distilling and Italian vermouth and wine industries.”
They are confident that with people perhaps still opting to social close to home and have garden gatherings in the summer, that they can entice people to try it.
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Business co-founder David said: “Vermouth has always been in our drinks cabinet, but for a lot of people it’s the last thing you think of when stocking your home bar. Reflecting on this over a negroni one night the answer suddenly hit us, why not use the greatest spirit in the world, Scottish newmake malt, to make something boldly different? We wanted to bring it up to date and to appeal to a new audience.”
The brothers are extremely proud of the product and have put their family name on the labels and they also hope it Valentia Vermouth will become synonymous with the Scotland and the Borders as well. They even drew inspiration from the Eildon Hills around them for the labelling.
“One of our ideas is to have a tasting experience in the Melrose area, where people would be able to come and try it and find out more about it,” added Dominic. “While it is bottled in Italy at the moment our three to five year plan does include being able to shift production to Scotland so that it is produced and bottled in Scotland.
“We are looking to launch a Crowdfunder with the idea of it leading to a setting up a tasting room and experimentation room.
The Tait brothers' Valentian Vermouth could be a real contender on the Scottish drinks market. Photo by Kirsty Anderson.
Their plans had to change last year when hospitality closed down due to lockdown and had an uncertain road ahead in 2020.
Dominic added: “We were going for a soft launch in 2019 and were planning to press ahead in 2020 but when the pandemic hit, we had to look at some of our plans and go down a different route. Hospitality industry trade routes were closed so we looked at our online shop selling direct to customers and independent drinks outlets.
“The retail side was always something we were planning to look at, but we placed greater emphasis on it last year. I think this year will be important for the home market as well and we really hope people will see it as a summer spritz alternative – why not V and T?”
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