A new Dumfries and Galloway vinegar brand, Grimble’s Vinegar, will launch at the end of November after winning a Producer Bursary at BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham. The vinegar range has been designed by Chris Harrison of Waulkmill Cider, based in Langholm, as a sister brand to his craft cider business.
Grimble’s seeks to revive the craft of vinegar making in Scotland with the launch of a new traditional Scottish malt vinegar made from craft ale, alongside a range of cask aged speciality apple cider, balsamic and wine vinegars. The vinegars are complemented by sweet apple syrups and seasonally spiced products.
Chris said:“Our vinegar craftsmanship has developed as a result of our craft cider business. Most of the speciality and flavoured vinegars for sale in the UK are flavour infused mass produced vinegar, without much age or character. Grimble’s is different.
“Our vinegars are cask aged and fully matured, and this maturation produces a complex, deep and robust flavour that makes it distinctly different from the mass produced infused vinegars currently on the market. This is British vinegar making in the vein of fine continental vinegars.
“We are launching it alongside a revival of proper malt vinegar, made from Scottish craft ale. Most people are surprised to hear that the ‘vinegar’ splashed on their chips in the chip shop isn’t real vinegar at all. Instead it’s non-brewed condiment, a vinegar substitute made from water, acetic acid and sometimes caramel to give it colour. By going back to basics we have developed a traditional malt that has a rich, authentic flavour that scored very highly in taste tests.”
The Birmingham Winter BBC Good Food Show is the largest consumer food show in the UK, attended by more than 90,000 people over four days. Now in its eight year the Producer Bursary Awards aim to pick out the very best new producers the nation has to offer, with products carefully shortlisted before being rigorously taste tested at the BBC Good Food Test Kitchens by a team of experts.
Grimble’s Vinegar is one of six businesses awarded a bursary at the Birmingham Winter BBC Good Food Show, and the only winner from Scotland. Judges praised the traditional manufacture and the use of real ingredients throughout the Grimble’s range.
The new vinegar range has also this week been named a New Producer Champion by the New Producer Awards run by Speciality Food Magazine – the UK industry trade publication for the independent food retail sector, shortlisted as one of four of the best New Concept food businesses in the UK. Category judge Michael Weber, Executive Coordinator of Purchasing & Distribution at Whole Foods Market, commented:
“I like the depth of range developed here. There are some standout flavours in vinegar and syrups. The depth of flavour in the malt vinegar stands out. I do love oak casks and the time spent maturing was well spent here. Also, the Apple syrup is crying out for a stack of buttered pancakes. I’d like a Saturday night and the range of Syrups to fully connect with my inner mixologist. Smoked garlic and shallot vinegar was delicious. Both flavours really shine through.”
Chris added:
“We are thrilled with the feedback on our products from both Good Food Kitchen and the Speciality Magazine New Producer Awards. To have received such support from industry experts before we even launch is staggering and a real endorsement of our approach.”
