OUR STORY

(so far…)

The idea of Folly Spirit Labs has been long fermenting, since Chris’s childhood experience of collecting apples from a local private orchard and trading them with his elderly neighbours for butterscotch. Collecting bartending experience from working across Glasgow, Edinburgh, Melbourne, and Prague, this formed his knowledge and strong passion, especially towards premium spirit products. 


However, it was noticeable that most drinks on the market are made with base spirits derived from over-farmed, limited grain varieties. Grown on an industrial scale and imported globally, this practice contributes significantly to biodiversity loss. This inspired the idea of Folly Spirit Labs, which has through our first product, Pochle, and will continue to for all future products by tapping into the natural potential of our urban landscape by sourcing our ingredients where we are based and embracing the diverse ecology of the city’s many species of apple trees.


A bottle of apple cider with a red sticker labeled 'Géal', an apple with yellow and red skin, and a red apple with yellow streaks.

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Apples in water in a white basin
A close-up of a branch with yellow apples and green leaves, with a blurred green background of trees.
Hand holding a black bottle with a label displaying a large white letter 'P' and the word 'Poche' in front of a city skyline during sunset.
Two bottles of Pochle beverage placed on a shelf behind a glass window in a dimly lit setting.

POCHLE

POCHLE

EDINBURGH CHAPTER

At Folly Spirit Labs, we turn overlooked food surplus into distinctive spirits. Pochle is only the beginning - every future project will be shaped by the communities who help us uncover new sources of untapped produce. Together, we champion creativity, reduce waste, and craft spirits rooted in collective impact.

Black and white hand-drawn illustration of a person with a beard and glasses, sitting upright, with speech bubble and lines indicating speech or thought.

SUSTAINABILITY

Yes, we know what you’re thinking. How can a distillery be fully sustainable? The answer is, sadly, it cannot. However, we ensure that the distillery's production is always low impact, adopts a circular economy, and encapsulates local flavours through local focus.

CIRCULARITY

From the ground up, our innovative approach to each step in the production chain ensures we make as little impact as possible. Folly taps into the natural potential of our urban landscape; no farming or land intervention necessary. Instead, for each product, we source our primary ingredient from a local surplus. This embraces the diverse ecology and flavour potential of a city; replicating the relationship between wine and terroir in an urban context. We’ve captured the distinctive and complex character of the city into our spirit.

Gray silhouette of a person holding an umbrella

With Chris and the team having a great love and appreciation of the land of Scotland, we hold our Scottish heritage as another main value of ours. With the expansion of Folly Spirit Labs, this would follow through to celebrating further location’s landscapes and their natural produce. 

A cityscape during sunset with a prominent clock tower, church steeples, and a busy street below.
A man sitting in a workshop holding a peach in his hand, surrounded by painting supplies and tools.

By utilising what is local and combining it with more environmentally friendly production, we stand for innovation. We aren’t about doing what everyone else is, and are enthusiastic about growth and learning, especially when it concerns niche spirit production and how to tackle issues such as more sustainable techniques.

Finally, we aren’t here to dodge questions. We believe that anyone has the right to know how what they enjoy comes to be; whether it be beer, spirits or wine. We are all about answering your questions on our own products, as well as any others we may supply at Folly Spirit Labs Edinburgh Chapter. If you leave having learnt something, then we have done our job!


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