A chance sixtieth birthday present of a gin-making experience sparked an interest that has since become a passion for a pair of best friends from the Scottish Borders. Now retired GP Paul Cormie and retired academic Malcolm MacLeod have set up their own distillery and launched a range of botanical gins.
We sat down with the pair to find out about how they got started, and what’s involved with the new project.
How did the idea for your gin brand Citrologist come about?
Paul: Malcom had given me a 60th birthday present of a gin-making experience day and I got hooked. I was really taken with the idea of being able to create my own gin and purchased a small copper still. In the weeks and months that followed, I began experimenting with making different flavours of gin. Through this, I found that the gins I made with fresh citrus fruit were particularly successful (hence ‘The Citrologist’ brand name).
The Citrologist Range
Malcolm: While initially Paul had intended that he would have his gin-making simply as a hobby in his retirement, the very positive responses from family and friends about his gins made him think that he could turn it into a business. Having been best friends for decades, Paul turned to me to ask if I would like to become a business partner in this new venture. Since then, we have set up a distillery, The Wildings Distillery, in Galashiels in the heart of the Scottish Borders and launched our brand at the end of November 2025.
When did you meet each other and can you tell me a bit about your backgrounds?
Malcolm: We met during the first weeks of studying as undergraduate students at the University of Aberdeen in 1979. Paul studied medicine while I studied Psychology. We have been the best of friends ever since, both were the best man at each other’s wedding, and both families get along well together.
Paul: I went on to become a GP in the Scottish Borders where I spent almost my entire career while Malcolm followed an academic career and latterly held senior posts at universities in St Andrews and Stirling.
The Wildings Distillery
Malcolm, your family spent time working in distilleries in the Highlands, tell me a bit about how that has influenced you?
Malcolm: My father was a Director of Dalmore Distillery near Alness in Easter Ross and was responsible for some of the early purchases of old Spanish sherry casks that now give Dalmore its distinctive colour and flavour. Both my uncles also worked at the distillery. My uncle, Walter, was the head cooper – a very large man who could wrap his arms around a full barrel of whisky and lift it off the ground (about 230kg) without much effort. I often accompanied my father around the distillery so the process of making and selling a quality product was quite familiar. I am not quite so sure, however, that my late father would have understood why I am making gin rather than whisky.
How many different ranges of gin do you have?
Malcolm: We are unusual as a new distillery to have launched The Citrologist with a range of gins which is testament to Paul’s skill and enthusiasm for gin making.
Paul: Our core range comprises a London Dry, Scottish Dry, Key Lime, Lemon, and Pink Grapefruit (all at 42% ABV). We also have a Navy Strength London Dry at 57% ABV and produce a number of Special Editions throughout the year made from more unusual seasonal citrus fruits such as Amalfi Lemon, Calamansi, Shatkora, Sudachi, Tiger Lemon, and Makrut Lime.
Fresh Pink Grapefruit zest in the botanical chambers of the still
Where do you source the ingredients for your gin? And can you tell me a bit about the distilling process?
Malcolm: We mainly source our citrus fruits from a specialist importer and our juniper, the main botanical flavouring in gin, comes from Italy. There are between eight and 12 different botanicals in our gins and the botanicals in each of the gins are illustrated on the label. All our citrus gins are distilled using fresh citrus fruit – we do not use frozen or dried citrus fruit and we do not add any flavourings, colourings, essences, or artificial sweeteners. All the citrus fruits are prepared by hand on the day which can mean many hours of preparation, especially when the fruits are quite small such as Key Limes.
Paul: The juice from the fresh citrus goes in the pot with the alcohol and other botanicals and the zest is placed in the distillation column where the hot alcohol vapour extracts the essential oils. The alcohol vapour containing all the botanical essential oils is then immediately cooled in the condenser part of the still back into a liquid which then needs to be diluted down to our bottling strength of gin at 42%. This process gives The Citrologist citrus gins their characteristic fresh and zesty flavour and aroma. Our London Dry and Scottish Dry are beautifully smooth, juniper-forward gins and the Scottish Dry, with the addition of rowan, hawthorn, and sea buckthorn berries has a slightly sweeter finish than the London Dry.
Preparation of Pink Grapefruit by hand
Has it become a family affair for you guys? Does everyone get involved in making the gin?
Malcolm: Very much so. We could not have done it without the support and help of their respective families. Paul’s wife, Cath, and second youngest daughter, Beth, both played key roles on the tasting panel in recipe development. Cath and my wife, Gillian, help out with labelling, marketing, and selling of our gins at exhibitions and fairs. My youngest son, Angus (who is a joiner and carpenter) also helped out with the fitting out of the distillery, and Beth continues to help out with her superior knowledge of social media.
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