BIRCH Premium Botanical Vodka, the flagship product of wild spirits pioneers Buck & Birch, has been recognised by Scotland’s top food and drink experts as the nation’s most innovative food and drink product.
Judges at the annual ScotHot event hailed BIRCH as a true pioneer in the Scottish food and drink scene, presenting Commercial Director Colin Logan and co-founder Tom Chisolm with their prestigious Gold Award for Innovation at the end of the two-day event (26 – 27 February).
Tom and his co-founder Rupert Waites are the entrepreneurs and wild flavour innovators behind Buck & Birch, setting up their business to make exceptional drinks that celebrate the incredible ingredients nature has to offer. They created BIRCH vodka using birch sap, which is harvested every spring from Scottish birch trees grown in Buck & Birch’s partner community forests – bringing a deliciously different taste to the spirit as well as environmental and economic benefit to their woodland partners.
Buck & Birch were part of the East Lothian Food & Drink contingent attending this year’s ScotHot, which is Scotland’s only annual trade event for buyers in hospitality, food service, public sector, retail, leisure and tourism.
In additional news, following their exciting win, the Buck & Birch team were delighted to welcome MP for Lothian East and Minister of State for Business and Trade, the Rt Hon Mr Douglas Alexander to their MacMerry headquarters (28 February). He joined the team for a tour of the Buck & Birch production facilities and a tasting of the range, followed by discussions of the company’s ambitious growth plans for 2025 and beyond.
Tom Chisolm commented: “Last week was a huge milestone in the development of the Buck & Birch business. We have spent years refining our wilderness spirits and forging a pioneering new category in the Scottish drinks sector, and it’s so rewarding for our team to be recognised by the nation’s food and drink experts with the overall gold award for innovation at ScotHot.
“Additionally, a huge thank you to Douglas Alexander for taking the time to visit us and learn more about the Buck & Birch mission and discuss our exciting plans for taking our spirits to the next level in 2025.”
Douglas Alexander added: “I welcomed the opportunity to visit Buck & Birch to learn more about its fascinating background and the team’s plans for growing the business. Tom and Rupert’s passion for Scotland’s natural, foraged and grown ingredients shines through and clearly gives their drinks a special and unique quality.
“They have already made significant progress in building their range of products and reputation as a brand, which has helped them win several awards. I wish the business every success as they continue their journey.”
For more information, visit www.buckandbirch.com and follow Instagram @buckandbirch on Instagram
