P&O Cruises Marabelle Gin To Be Produced In World’s First Gin Distillery At Sea On Iona

Posted on November 18, 2020 by CruiseMiss — Leave a comment

Salcombe Gin photographed by Alun Callender for P&O Cruises commissioned by Sunday

P&O Cruises sea-inspired Marabelle Gin is to be produced on board new ship Iona, home to the world’s first gin distillery at sea, in partnership with Salcombe Distilling Co.

The unique recipe has been inspired by the terroir of the Scottish island which is Iona’s namesake with heather among the 18 botanicals used to create the gin. To this citrus and green apple has been added, for freshness, alongside blackberry, rose petals, mint and finally sea kelp, to create a richness with a subtle hint of the sea.

The world’s first gin distillery at sea will be found within Anderson’s Bar and Library on board Iona which will be serving expertly crafted Marabelle Gin cocktails. The gin will be produced in Iona’s gin still ‘Columba’ named after the sixth century founder of the abbey on the island of Iona. Then it will be bottled and labelled on board with bottles available for guests to purchase and enjoy at home.

Following its launch on Iona, Salcombe Distilling Co. will distil P&O Cruises Marabelle Gin in its 450-litre copper still ‘Provident’ in Salcombe to be served across the entire P&O Cruises fleet.
Salcombe Distilling Co. will also bring its gin masterclass expertise to Iona to create two unique experiences for P&O Cruises. In one, a gin expert will reveal the secrets to distilling a smooth and well-balanced gin, complete with a tutored tasting masterclass. The second class is a smaller more intimate experience where guests create their own recipe gin, under the tutelage of the gin expert, from a selection of gin botanical distillates created by Salcombe Distilling Co. These specially created gins will be bottled for guests to take home.

P&O Cruises also plans to work with Salcombe Distilling Co. to develop exclusive gins inspired by the destinations visited.

P&O Cruises president, Paul Ludlow, said:“The world’s first gin distillery at sea will be one of the stand-out star attractions on our new ship. Marabelle means star of the sea so this is a perfectly apt name for our unique-recipe gin created on board Iona, a ship set to make sea the star.”

Salcombe Distilling Co. co-founder, Angus Lugsdin, said: “This exciting partnership unites two British brands with a love of ocean adventures in a beautifully crafted gin. Iona and the sea have been the inspiration for every element of Marabelle Gin from the name and the design of the bottle label, with the star formations in the night sky overhead, to the flora native to the island of Iona, juniper and heather, used in the recipe.

“The bottle label is the shape of a gin pennant flag, a symbol of hospitality flown by sailors for years. When hoisted it invites people to come aboard for a G&T, so it’s the perfect icon to symbolise our gin brand and partnership.”