September was all about celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary in Sweden (which was utterly sensational!) so keep reading to find out about all the bars and distilleries we visited, as well as the latest booze news and new releases.
Booze News
Following on from last month’s news, Scotland’s GlenWyvis Distillery has sadly informed investors it is set to appoint administrators after facing an “exceptionally difficult trading environment”. In more positive news, data from the UK’s Food and Drink Federation shows exports of UK-made whisky and gin rose by value and volume in the first half of 2026, while Northern Ireland’s Boatyard Distillery has announced plans to invest £2 million into increasing production capacity and new product development including the launch of its new mid-strength spirit V-52.
New Gin Alerts
Talking of mid-strength spirits, Italy’s Portofino has just released their Light Edition 20% ABV Botanical Spirit which is said to have a fresh, savoury and Mediterranean character. If full strength is your thing, why not pick up one of York Gin’s 200 bottles of Distiller’s Cut ForaGIN made with hand-foraged herbs from the city’s meadows and riverbanks of York? Or for something even stronger, there’s Stauning’s new Navy Strength Gin which should pack a punch at 57.3% ABV!
Also of note are two new releases from two great gin producers: Northamptonshire’s Warner’s Distillery has just released a non-alcoholic Botanical Aperitif made with macerations of raw apple cider vinegar, honey, flowers and roots grown on their farm. Meanwhile Renais has announced it will be releasing its new Vodka – which, like their gin, is distilled from French wine grapes and infused with Kimmeridgian limestone – on 1st October. It it’s anything like the sample I tried earlier this year it promises to be very special indeed!
My Month in Gin
While I did sneak in a little judging for The Autumn and Luxury Masters 2026, September was really all about Sweden for me! My husband and I flew into Stockholm on our 20th wedding anniversary where we enjoyed exploring the sights and indulging in wonderful food and drink at Hommage and Röda Huset. However, the real highlight was joining in Hernö Gin Bar’s 5th Birthday celebrations where we found ourselves sat next to fellow Instagrammer @cocktailbarguiden who, true to his name, kindly insisted on introducing us to some of the cities other best bars! First we headed to historic Gondolen for their award-winning Dry Martini, before moving on to recently opened Slussporten where we even got to order off a secret menu! It may not have been the most sensible thing to do on an empty stomach and the day before catching another flight, but I’m very glad we did, and our guide Jonas’s knowledge of Stockholm’s cocktail scene was second-to-none!
With a slightly sore head, we then flew up to the utterly magnificent Hernö Gin Hotel in Härnösand where we were very generously treated to two nights in the Master Distillers Suite, no less! Everything about the hotel was out of this world, from the wonderful bar and restaurant to the super indulgent spa, but the highlight had to be our amazing room. Up on the ninth floor it was huge and spacious with stunning coastal views from the private terrace, a minibar filled to bursting with miniature bottles of Hernö Gin and loads of fabulous little extras like the Artisan hand wash and body lotion made with juniper and lemon zest, and was the perfect place to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary weekend.
After a lovely meal with Hernö Gin Founder Jon Hillgren and his family the night before, Jon kindly took us out into Sweden’s beautiful High Coast to visit the Hernö Distillery in tiny Dala. The heart of the distillery is a stunning multi-functional space which is home to their two 1000 litre copper stills – Marit and Yvonne – and also operates as an impressive tasting room adorned with over a hundred bottles of gin and over a hundred of Hernö’s countless awards (with yet more piled up on shelves waiting to be hung!). I also loved seeing behind the scenes – from where all the ingredients are stored to where all the spirits are bottled – but my highlight had to be sitting down with Jon in front of Kierstin (his first 250 litre still) and learning all about – and tasting some of – his fabulous creations.
And as if that wasn’t enough excitement for one weekend, Jon then took us further north to visit the High Coast Whisky Distillery and meet his friend, CEO Linus Håkansson. After a fantastic lunch in the distillery’s own restaurant, Linus took us on another wonderful behind-the-scenes tour to see their four stills and thousands upon thousands of barrels (including a very impressive Solera system) before treating us to a terrific tasting where Sherry Embers (a peated single malt whisky finished in sherry casks) stole my heart.
Welcome to My Collection
In addition to returning from Sweden with a truly sensational haul (part gifted/part purchased) I’ve been lucky enough to receive a selection of féfé canned cocktails created by the bartender’s behind Paris’ Le Syndicat, as well as Bloody Drinks‘ new Red Snapper made with The Botanist Gin. I was also delighted to receive aluminibar’s new gift set of six mini aluminium bottles of gin (which won the Eco-friendly Packaging IWSC Design Award this year) and 58 and Co.‘s bottled Negroni in perfect time to celebrate Negroni Week in style!
Catching Up and Looking Forward
If you haven’t already, why not read my latest Drinksbiz column all about the rise of RTDs? As for October, it looks like it could be more of the same; a little bit of judging and a lot more celebrating…! Come back next month to see what I’ve been up to. 🍸🛎🛎
