Small Business Spotlight: Electric Spirit Co

Tell us a bit about your business?

I own Electric Spirit Co, which is a distillery based on Tower Street. The company has been operating here since 2018, but the business has been producing in Leith since 2015 - our current site is shared with the Port of Leith Distillery, and we both distil and bottle gin here (Achroous and Lind & Lime respectively).

What makes your business unique?

There's a huge number of gins on the market right now, but Electric's main product, Achroous, is pretty distinct. It's won several international gold medals for taste, been named as one of the top spirits in the world, and comes in a pretty wild neon orange bottle. Most importantly, it's incredibly tasty.

Describe your typical working day.

If it's a distilling day, it's an early start - I need to be in at 7am to get the still on, and it'll run all day. While the gin's being produced, I'll be preparing the previous production run for bottling, as well as shipping orders, chasing invoices, finding new stockists and drinking a lot of strong coffee.

Why Leith?

Leith's got a spectacular history of distilling, so it seemed like an obvious place to start. That said, before Electric started production in 2015, there hadn't been a distillery here since Melrose Drover closed in the 70s. Although there's nothing left of the old Lochend, Bonnington and Links distilleries, there's a bunch of new breweries and distilleries who are bringing back what were traditionally major industries in Leith. It's great to be a part of that.

Name three fellow Leith businesses you love to visit.

Tough call, there's loads! I'm going to say Santu for great coffee beans (they literally keep the distillery running), Domenico's or Alby's for a really aweome sandwich, and either Newbarns or Pilot to pick up some beers. I know that's more than three... sorry!