P&O Cruises reveals first gin to be created in on board distillery 

P&O Cruises has revealed Marabelle Gin, the first gin to be produced in the distillery onboard Iona, the world’s first at sea.

The distillery has been created in partnership with Salcombe Distilling Co.

The recipe has been inspired by the Scottish Island that shares its name with Iona, with heather among the 18 botanicals used to create the gin as well as green apples for freshness and sea kelp to give a subtle hint of the sea. The onboard gin still has been Columba, after the sixth century founder of the abbey on the island of Iona.

Paul Ludlow, the president of P&O, said: “The world’s first gin distillery at sea will be one of the stand-out star attractions on our new ship. Marabelle means star of the sea so this is a perfectly apt name for four unique-recipe gin created on board Iona, a ship set to make the sea a star.”

Angus Lugsdin, co-founder of Salcombe Distilling Co, added: “This exciting partnership unites two British brands with a love of ocean adventures in a beautifully crafted gin. Iona and the sea have been the inspiration for every element of Marabelle Gin from the name and the design of the bottle label, with the star formations in the night sky overhead, to the flora native to the island of Iona, juniper and heather, used in the recipe.

“The bottle label is the shape of a gin pennant flag, a symbol of hospitality flown by sailors for years. When hoisted it invites people to come aboard for a G&T, so it’s the perfect icon to symbolise our gin brand and partnership.”