Every brand has an origin story, and immaculate®'s begins not in a boardroom, but in a cluttered kitchen, full of botanicals, ambition and a whole lot of trial and error. It all started when our co-founder Lynne underwent an operation and found that drinking alcohol afterwards left her feeling absolutely dreadful for days..and days...and days on end! As a self-professed party girl, she wasn’t ready to give up the fun, but she was ready to find another way.

Craving the crisp zing of her favourite juniper-rich classic G&T without the hangover, Lynne began experimenting in her kitchen. It wasn’t glamorous. Herbs were over-steeped, flavours clashed...and let’s just say the bin saw more liquid than her tasting glasses. But the spark was lit and she was determined something better was possible.

Soon, the whole immaculate® team were involved. Expert botanical advice came from Hamish, friends and family were roped in for blind taste tests, feedback was honest (brutally so)...but slowly, the magic started to happen.

We discovered that the core of our drink had to be a hefty dose of juniper, both for the mouthfeel and an unmistakable “gin” taste. Lemon balm added a fresh softness. Scottish water brought purity. And there was one more thing… a secret ingredient that delivered a deeper mouthfeel usually found in alcoholic drinks. That was the missing piece!

With a flavour profile finally locked in, the next hurdle was making the drink fizzy and in larger volumes. We went for bottles initially - cans were way too expensive for a small production run. We found a local company to help with bottling and safety/requirements, created 2,000 bottles (our branding partners had been working away developing a beautiful brand name and design for us), and then went to many, many events to get more feedback. So far, so good!

We felt we were onto something, so we all agreed to move onto the next stage. Scaling up and making the product available in a ready-to-drink can format. Turns out though, what works in a teacup doesn’t work quite the same when you’re making 3,000 litres! The transition from kitchen to canning line required more expert help from our partners. The team collaborated with distillers, food scientists and flavour developers to translate the handcrafted formula into a production-ready scale-up recipe – all while staying low in sugar, low in calories, clean in taste...and free from alcohol at every step.

And then came the big day. The first immaculate® can rolled off the production line. Perfect.

Eh, no.

It hadn’t worked. Back to the drawing board.

Everyone was fantastic and within a few months we were back on track.

Back to the canning factory. And after two more failed production runs, this time immaculate® was well, immaculate! A real test of resilience and determination…and we got there. With a drink and brand that is exactly as we imagined when we started out.

Today, we have started selling online through our own website and on Amazon, as well as across the central belt of Scotland as a wider pilot roll-out… and looking forward so much to hearing what people think of it - both good and bad - it won’t be for everyone! And that's ok.

As we look back at where we started – an idea, messy kitchen trials, loyal friends and partners, and really not much idea of what the next step would be (typical entrepreneurial chaos!) – we’re filled with pride for how far we’ve come, how much we’ve learnt and excitement for where we’re headed next.

#immaculateG&T