CHARITY
The Gin Blue Line
A retired Met officer has created his very own gin to celebrate more than 200 years of British policing and raise money for some great causes
Co-founder of Stirling Distillery, Cameron McCann is a retired Met officer who served the capital for more 20 years. On 15 November 2021, the brand launched their much-anticipated Gin Blue Line gin. The special bottle has been introduced to raise money for charities that support British police officers, past and present,
who are suffering with work-related mental health issues.
With 20 per cent of the Gin Blue Line profits divided between a range of charities, sales of the spirit should make a real difference to the lives of many officers. One of the charities to benefit from the initiative is Police Care, which supports serving and veteran officers who have suffered physical or psychological harm as a result of their policing work. Since its launch last November, more than £3,000 has been raised for charity through sales of the gin. “As a retired Met officer, I was approached on a social media chat forum for retired police officers about creating a product that would help raise awareness and funds for police mental health charities,” said McCann. The charities are very important to McCann because of his own experiences working for the Met: “Having suffered from PTSD whilst in the force, it was a subject close to my heart. Not enough is done to support officers’ mental health with the challenging jobs they have, and I would like to be part of a movement to
38 | POLICE | FEBRUARY 2022
help change that.”
Made with carefully selected botanicals,
including forget- me-nots, Scottish heather, sage, and kaffir lime leaves,
the gin is bottled at 43 per cent. Stirling Distillery’s head distiller Lisa Matthews said: “I wanted to make a very well-rounded, versatile gin that could pair with many types of tonics and garnishes. It has floral elements, spicy notes and a smooth citrus base that will suit a range of tonics.”
The gin is bottled and waxed by hand at the distillery, which is in the shadow of Stirling Castle. The bottles retail at £35 and are available online at www.
stirlingdistillery.com or in the distillery shop. Gin Blue Line is a permanent addition to the wide range of gins on offer by the distiller, so it will raise money and awareness of police mental health charities for years to come.
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