The gin industry, which is worth £3.2bn to the UK economy, has the potential to be devastated by an invasive plant disease that is posing a threat to one of the basic ingredients that gives gin its distinctive flavor.
A pathogen called phytophthora austrocedri is spreading through juniper trees in Scotland, which produces 70% the UK’s gin …. The warning comes from none other [than] experts at the Plant Health Center, including …. Professor Fiona Burnett, from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).
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The phytophthora austrocedri pathogen entered Britain through the plant trade and may have got into juniper woodlands through well-intentioned planting schemes. It lives in the soil and spreads in both soil and water, infecting juniper roots and killing large numbers of juniper trees especially on wet sites.
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Although gin can be produced from spirits derived from a wide choice of grains, or even potatoes, it relies on juniper berries to give it its traditional, distinctive flavor.
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Luckily for gin drinkers, researchers in Scotland have found that some junipers are resistant to P austrocedri and it is hoped that natural regeneration will allow juniper populations to recover over time.
