January was long wasn’t it?! But, luckily for me, it was also packed with a whole lot of fun including visiting two of the most wonderful – and completely different – distilleries in the UK. Oh, and a little namecheck in The Guardian too! They described me as a “spirits writer and gin expert” so I think that makes it official now, doesn’t it?!

Booze News

There was more sad news for us gin drinkers in January. Didsbury Gin – which once secured a  £75,000 investment after appearing on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den – has gone into liquidation after owing its creditors nearly £200,000. Meanwhile, Diageo has sadly closed Chase Distillery, shifted production of its gins and vodkas to Scotland and revealed its intention to liquidate the company.

London-based drinks lovers will also be saddened to hear that Silverleaf bar closed on Thursday 30th January after being given just 6 days notice, and Hacha Brixton will be shutting for good on Saturday 15th February 2025.

New Gin Alerts

I’m not going to lie, for a moment I thought I hadn’t spotted a single new gin in January! But then I remembered a new release I’d spotted that also signals what appears to be a growing trend for savoury gins. A collaboration between The Kennet Crayfish Company and Hawkridge Distillers, Kennet Crayfish Gin sees crayfish claw shells distilled with complimentary botanicals to create a gin described as fresh on the nose, sweet on the palate and delivering a citrus and herbaceous complexity.

I don’t usually bother to include Craft Gin Club releases (given that they release a new gin to subscribers every month), but Sule Skerry Gin from the Orkney Gin Company did catch my eye with its beautiful bottle and botanicals inspired by the ingredients in traditional craft cola such as orange zest, nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon.

My Month in Gin

Dry January kicked off appropriately enough with the UK launch of The Pathfinder non-alcoholic spirit at London’s Archive & Myth speakeasy hidden below Leicester Square’s Hippodrome. Made by fermenting and distilling naturally harvested hemp seed alongside a selection of botanicals – including wormwood, ginger, sage, juniper, saffron, orange peel and Douglas fir – The Pathfinder contains neither CBD nor THC, and tastes reminiscent of an Italian amaro or even a traditional cola.

What really impressed me though was how versatile The Pathfinder is, as demonstrated by the fantastic selection of No, Low and Go (ie full strength) cocktails on offer, and all of which featured The Pathfinder but none of which tasted alike. My favourites were the Solstice Spritz (featuring fino, grapefruit, rosemary and bubbles) and the Gimlet (with gin, spiced lime cordial and Doulas fir) but I also loved the peaty Boulevardier garnished with a chocolate Ouija planchette!

Approximately six and a half years after falling in love with Garden Swift Gin, I finally managed to visit the distillery where it is made. Located in a tiny 7.5m² lean-to greenhouse in the garden of founder Barney’s childhood home, Capreolus Distillery is one of the country’s smallest distilleries producing some of its very finest gin and eaux de vie (or fruit brandy). With incredible dedication, Barney and his small team hand-grade every piece of locally sourced fruit before it is gently crushed and slowly fermented using wild yeasts, prior to distillery and resting. What is truly remarkable however, is how much fruit, and flavour, is packed into each batch with just one 375ml bottle of raspberry eau de vie containing 70 punnets of raspberries!

Just one week later I returned to the Cotswolds to visit its eponymous Distillery. Launched in 2014 the Cotswolds Distillery has expanded into its stunning site and is now home to two distilleries where they produce gin and whisky, warehousing, wonderful wetlands (which naturally treat three quarters of their wastewater), and a stunning visitor centre with a warm welcome, lovely shop and excellent cafe. I had the huge honour of meeting founder Daniel Szor, CEO Jeremy Parsons and Alice Pearson – Distillery Manager extraordinaire who joined the team at just 16 (and not as many years ago as you might assume) to shred invoices! I had a fantastic day being shown behind the scenes with their Global Brand Ambassador Rob Patchett, and tasting some of their products too. And, having first fallen in love with Cotswolds Dry Gin way back in 2015/16, I’m happy to confirm it still tastes just as good today!

I also had a wonderful day at the Great Taste workshop for coordinators, where we learned all about how to judge coffee, with Marcello from Mission Coffee Works, and chocolate with Spencer from Cocoa Runners. And, last but not least, I was super chuffed to be quoted in The Guardian! Yes, technically it was published on the 1st February but I’m not waiting another 4 weeks to tell you about it! Hannah Crosbie’s column was all about overcoming her dislike of gin; you can read it here to find out what I advised her and how she got on!

Welcome to My Collection

I was lucky enough to receive lots of treats this month including a lovely goody bag containing a scented candle from The Pathfinder launch party, a bottle of the utterly delicious 1,000 Trees Apple Eau de Vie – made using the apples from an extraordinary orchard where 1,000 varieties are grown as 1,000 trees – from the Capreolus Distillery, and a bottle of cracking Cotswolds Dry Gin and a jar of pure honey too!

Catching Up and Looking Forward

February looks set to be another fun month with a couple of exciting events and a distillery tour to look forward to as well as a little bit of judging and another column to wrap up. See you on the other side! 🍸🛎🛎