FFD High Spirits 2018-19

2018-19 Edition | gff.co.uk

HIGH SPIRITS PREMIUM DRINKS FOR SPECIALITY STORES

A supplement to

Your biggest ever guide to craft and premium spirits & liqueurs

INCLUDES MORE THAN 60 RUM, WHISKY, GIN & LIQUEUR BRANDS

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

RARE BREWS Pete Brown on the virtues of scarce and super-premium bottled beers

WIN WITH WINE Sidestep the supermarkets with a tiered range from indie winemakers

PLUS: BEERS & CIDERS • WINE • MIXERS & SOFT DRINKS • SELLING TIPS

Folkington’s Juices, The Workshop, Endlewick House, Arlington, East Sussex BN26 6RU HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19 info@folkingtons.com 01323 485602

16

www.folkingtons.com

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST @folkingtons @folkingtons

WELCOME

INSIDE THE DRINKS MARKET

4

CRAFT SPIRITS & LIQUEURS

7

We bring you a state-of-the-nation look at a premium drinks sector that shows no sign of Ĺ´DJJLQJ

Explore the latest in high-end gins, vodka, rum, ZKLVN\ DQG Ĺ´DYRXUHG VSLULWV DQG OLTXHXUV ĹŠ PDQ\ appearing in High Spirits IRU WKH Ć“UVW WLPH ĹŠ LQ RXU A-Z guide

PROFILE: COPPER RIVET DISTILLERY 11 It’s often seen as a mark of authenticity, yet only a tiny handful of British gin brands can claim to use their own base spirit. Lauren Phillips visits one of them, housed in a historic pump house in Chatham, Kent

PROFILE: RATHLEE DISTILLING

21

With the premium rum market still bubbling under, we hear the story of one new start-up offering D XQLTXH IXVLRQ RI /DWLQ $PHULFDQ DQG &RUQLVK LQĹ´XHQFHV

SUPER-PREMIUM BEERS

26

BEER & CIDER

29

WINE

31

MIXERS & SOFT DRINKS

35

SHOP FLOOR SECRETS

38

Barrel-ageing, mixed fermentation and sheer scarcity can help some beers command prices RI XS WR e D SLQW EXW LV LW MXVWLĆ“HG" 'HĆ“QLWHO\ argues Guild of Beer Writers chairman Pete Brown The latest in premium bottled beers and ciders for delis, farm shops and food halls

Competing with supermarkets on price is a mug’s game, but as drinks specialist Chris Mercer reports, WKHUH DUH SOHQW\ RI WULFNV WR KHOS LQGHSHQGHQWV ƓQG a winning angle with wine

$V FUDIW DQG ERXWLTXH VSLULWV KDYH H[SORGHG so too have sophisticated mixers and soft drink alternatives to accompany them. Lauren Phillips looks at the latest launches With top indie retailer Ludlow Farm seeing acrossWKH ERDUG JURZWK LQ LWV RII OLFHQFH DUHD ZH DVN 0' Jon Edwards how it keeps the section buzzing

7

11

4 21

29

26

31 2018-19 Edition | gff.co.uk

HIGH SPIRITS PREMIUM DRINKS FOR SPECIALITY STORES

A supplement to

Your biggest ever guide to craft and premium spirits & liqueurs

INCLUDES MORE THAN 60 RUM, WHISKY, GIN & LIQUEUR BRANDS

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

38

35

RARE BREWS Pete Brown on the virtues of scarce and super-premium bottled beers

IT’S YEAR THREE of High Spirits – the annual trade guide to premium drinks from the team behind Fine Food Digest – and one thing is apparent: the buzz around booze shows no sign of abating.

Not long ago I traded emails with Scottish deli owner Diane Brown, asking about the best new lines she’d seen this year across all categories at her Provender Brown store in Perth. “I don’t know if it’s a reflection on the people of Perthshire, or just on me,� she joked, “but most of the new products doing well for us have been gin or gin-related!�

It’s not you, Diane. As you can read in this edition of High Spirits, gin’s still storming ahead in stores UK-wide. “The gin juggernaut just keeps on going,â€? says Lavinia Cooke of much-fĂŞted Liverpool store Delifonseca, in our market round-up on p5, and it’s the same message from Jon Edwards of Shropshire’s Ludlow Farm (p38), which now stocks a stonking 30 different gins - almost all of them classed as local.

In fact, Jon tells us that beers, wines & spirits are now among the fastest growing categories across the store, with spirits in particular providing genuine novelty when other sectors of the fine food world are looking a bit samey.

So, you’d be daft not to make the most of it, and there is plenty of advice in this year’s High Spirits on finding a profitable niche.

One word of caution: the supermarkets are snapping at the heels of indies, not just with bargain-basement wine offers but with prettily branded flavoured gins and umpteen fake ‘craft’ beers. As ever, it’s incumbent on the specialist store to educate shoppers on the difference between, say “superpremium� beer from a multinational or the real thing from a Belgian monastery or Scottish island.

But then, that’s what our corner Mick Whitworth of indie retailing Editorial Director, has always done Guild of FIne Food best.

EDITORIAL editorial@gff.co.uk Editorial director: Mick Whitworth Editor: Michael Lane Assistant editor: Lauren Phillips Art Director: Mark Windsor Contributors: Chris Mercer, Pete Brown, AJ Sharp

WIN WITH WINE Sidestep the supermarkets with a tiered range from indie winemakers

PLUS: BEERS & CIDERS • WINE • MIXERS & SOFT DRINKS • SELLING TIPS

Cover image: Jamie Watson/Stockfood

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

ADVERTISING advertise@gff.co.uk Sales director: Sally Coley Sales manager: Ruth Debnam Sales executive: Becky Haskett GENERAL ENQUIRIES Tel: +44 (0) 1747 825200 Fax: +44 (0) 1747 824065 info@gff.co.uk, www.gff.co.uk Guild of Fine Food, Guild House, 23b Kingsmead Business Park, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5FB UK

PRINTED BY Blackmore, Dorset, UK

PUBLISHED BY The Guild of Fine Food Ltd www.gff.co.uk Š The Guild of Fine Food Ltd 2018. Reproduction of whole or part of this magazine without the publisher’s prior permission is prohibited. The opinions expressed in articles and advertisements are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher.

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

3

WINE

Gin’s still bossing t

With rum, sake and ‘botanical spirits’ all bubbling under, gin is still top dog in premium spirits, while craft beer continues to excite. But with multiples muscling in, indies must be savvy in their brand choices, says CHRIS MERCER.

4

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

HAS THERE BEEN A MORE exciting time to sell, buy or make small-batch spirits, and drinks in general?

Okay, there is economic uncertainty, a quarter of pubs have closed since 2001 and big business has latched on to the craft drinks bandwagon. But, as it stands, the choice of drinks styles, flavours and brands available to independent delis and farm shops across the country has arguably never been more diverse.

There are around 315 distilleries in the UK, according to figures from the Wine & Spirit Trade Association. More than 200 opened in the five years to the end of 2017, said accountancy group UHY Hacker Young recently.

What’s more, UK vineyard land has more than doubled in a decade, there are over 2,000 breweries – the most since the 1930s – and more than 500 cider makers.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave on the isle of Sark with no data roaming, you’ll know that gin in its various guises is responsible for much of the spirits growth. “The gin juggernaut just keeps on going,” says Lavinia Cooke, general manager at award-winning retailer Delifonseca Dockside in Liverpool.

Some in the industry think that a reality check is now inevitable and the market will struggle to hold all of the current gin brands. One thing is certain: with supermarkets increasingly muscling in on ‘craft’ drinks and the economic outlook uncertain, smaller retailers need to be extra savvy on which brands to stock and how to get the most out of them.

For example, Delifonseca has sought to balance Liverpool Gin’s popularity against its recently expanded distribution by focusing more on the distiller’s flavoured varieties, including rose petal and orange, which are less widely available. It also has local spirits from Turncoat distillery.

“We’ve started to see people more interested in garnishes and tonic flavours as well,” says Cooke, highlighting cucumber and mint, plus elderflower tonic.

"Spend on spirits can be quite high, up to as much as £45-a-bottle,” she adds.

“Some people don’t even blink at paying that here.”

To stay ahead of the big retailers, it’s also important to be up with the latest trends. And in spirits, rum in its various guises is increasingly touted as the next big thing beyond gin.

“We’re seeing strong growth in rum,” says Dawn Davies, buyer at leading supplier Speciality Drinks and a former beer, wine and spirits buyer at Selfridges.

She sees crossover at higher pricepoints between rum and whisky fans. “We

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

THE DRINKS MARKET

g the booze aisles took rum to the Whisky Show [organised

by Speciality’s sister company, the Whisky Exchange] for the first time and people loved it,” she says, adding: “Rum used to be £20 to £30 but now people are going into the £40s; it’s in that £36 to £45 bracket and even £50".

Rum distillers have sprung up across the UK in recent years, from names like Rathlee in Cornwall to Beach Craft Spirits in Scotland. Styles mainly cover white, spiced and golden rums at present.

In London, Bimber has laid down the gauntlet to big players Bacardi and Havana Club with the launch of its London Classic white rum. “The category has been neglected by the very brands which created it,” said Bimber’s head of sales, Adam Trethewy.

Not everyone sees rum taking off just yet, though. “We’ve had one or two people enquiring about it,” says Richard Tryner, co-owner of two Delilah Fine Foods delis in the East Midlands. He thinks it could gain a good niche following, but talk of it being gin 2.0 is overblown. “I don’t see it happening that way,” he said.

Scottish newcomer Ncn’ean is experimenting with ‘botanical spirits’, flavouring its base whisky with 10 local botanicals sourced with help from a foraging expert

“Rum ticks along, but we get more people coming in and asking about whiskies,” says Delifonseca’s Cooke.

She has noticed the rising popularity of Bourbon and American whiskies, which she believes is directly influenced by Liverpool’s on-trade. “People will drink a craft beer and Bourbon together in a bar,” she says, adding that Delifonseca now stocks four Bourbons and has a Kentucky corn whiskey.

What other bar trends might smallscale retailers want to be aware of?

Within the cocktail scene, Davies picked out Cognac for a potential resurgence, plus non-alcoholic spirits – although “the quality is not there yet” – and Calvados and apple brandies more generally. Sake, too, continues to generate a lot of noise and is picking up momentum in high-end cocktails.

As reported previously, we may see a host of new UK whiskies hitting the market in the next couple of years as distillers’ stocks mature past the required three years of ageing. One of those is likely to be from newcomer Ncn’ean distillery, tucked away on Scotland’s west coast. Founder and CEO Annabel Thomas plans to release a BDA-certified organic Scotch whisky, after sourcing organic barley from several small farms.

In the meantime, she has experimented with the emerging ‘botanical spirit’ category; in this case, new-make whisky spirit flavoured with 10 local botanicals sourced in tandem with a foraging expert. “It wasn’t in the business plan,” admits Thomas, adding that 5,000 bottles were initially made and another run was now set for early 2019.

Davies at Speciality Drinks thinks

FIVE TRICKS TO DRIVE SALES Give them a flavour: “On-shelf labels with information on flavour pro les would encourage half of alcoholic drinks buyers to buy craft drinks, says researcher intel. lavour pro le labels appeal particularly to under s, it adds, citing this group s desire for connoisseur status.

Big-up awards: intel s survey found half of all respondents would try a craft drink brand carrying an industry award.

Again, the proportion rises for under s.

Ease them in with trial sizes: iniatures work well for elifonseca, which started by displaying lower cost single serve bottles of hase spirits near its tills. hey went brilliantly, so we persuaded iverpool in and urncoat another local distiller to do it as well, says general manager avinia ooke.

Don’t keep drinks at a distance: o you stock ingredients for a great garnish with that gin o you sell any food that would work well with a style of beer, wine or spirit on your shelves f you do, is that obvious to your customers hink cross selling, and don t set drinks apart from food.

Love local: intel says there s a perception of craft brands as supporting their local economy . Are there angles here that you could communicate

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

Rum in its various guises is increasingly touted as the next big thing beyond gin botanical spirits is a relatively slow burning trend, but one to watch.

It is also arguably reflects a general blurring of the lines of what consumers expect from a category; whether that’s barrel-aged vodka, like the one created

by Brewdog-backed Lone Wolf distillery, or Bristol Beer Factory’s Artemis Series, which includes a ‘Negroni’ beer.

These sorts of thing, however, need more of a hands-on sell. “The challenge is that some people don’t know how to categorise it,” says Thomas, of Ncn’ean.

“It works better in bars and specialist retailers, where they can communicate what it is.”

Independent fine food stores have another natural advantage here: their customer profile. “Unsurprisingly, craft alcohol buying often overlaps with foodieism,” said market research group Mintel in a 2018 consumer report. “A third of alcoholic drinks buyers like to follow the latest food and drink trends and of these, over half (55%) buy craft alcohol.”

“We’ve started pairing all of our desserts with spirits, liqueurs or wine,” says Lavinia Cooke at Delifonseca, which has a restaurant onsite. “That’s worked quite well in getting people to try things.”

Plum sake and Barkham Blue cheese is one favourite, she added.

Even if you don’t offer in-store dining, Mintel suggests in-store recipe cards and food pairing tips–a point worth considering even as you are deciding what drinks to stock.

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

5

6

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

SPIRITS & LIQUEURS

Time to be spiritually uplifted

From the home town of Waterford Crystal, ANCHOR SPIRITS has created three premium spirit brands: Muldoon Irish Whiskey Liqueur 25% abv, Thin Gin 40% abv and Spike Island Spiced Rum 40% abv. All Anchor Spirits are produced in small batches and available to the UK and across Europe. anchorspirits.ie

We’re bringing you more than 60 craft, premium and boutique brands this year, many of them appearing in High Spirits for the first time. So who said the UK had reached ‘peak gin’?

Cheshire-based BIG HILL DISTILLERY launched its award-winning Spirit of George gin in 2017. The London Dry (40% ABV) is infused with Nepalese botanicals and named after a Cheshire local who scaled Mount Everest in 1924. Produced in 70cl size (trade price £28), but also 20cl and 5cl for 2019, the gin is available via LWC and Hammonds of Knutsford.

Compiled by AJ SHARP, MICK WHITWORTH and LAUREN PHILLIPS

bighilldistillery.com

New Welsh distillery ABER FALLS, which is due to UHOHDVH LWV ƓUVW ZKLVN\ LQ 2020, has launched a small batch Welsh gin (RRP £32) to sit alongside its initial line-up of gins and liqueurs.

Produced in Snowdonia E\ WKH ƓUVW QHZ ZKLVN\ distillery to open in Wales in 100 years, the gin was launched initially in Booths supermarkets and is available to the wider trade through wholesalers Harlech Foodservice and Blas ar Fwyd.

The Ocean gins from THE BEARA DISTILLERY are infused with Atlantic salt water, Ventry harbour sugar kelp and handpicked Beara Peninsula fuchsia to make a “true spirit of the wild Atlantic”. There are two varients: Original Beara Ocean Gin and Beara Pink Ocean Gin, which has the addition of cranberry and rosewater.

Both are available in 70cl (RRP £33), (£4.50) and a twin miniature gift pack (£10).

Despite having over 25 unique gins in production, BLACK POWDER claims to be one of the smallest distilleries in the UK. Along with classic gins it also produces a multitude of natural fruit gins and liqueurs.

Bottle sizes include 20cl (trade £12), 50cl (£24) and 70cl (£30).

aberfallsdistillery.com

thebearadistillery.ie

blackpowdergin.co.uk

Raise a drink to a sinking ship BELFAST GIN DISTILLERY is based in the historic Titanic Quarter, and the ill-fated ship also has lent its name to the producer’s Classic Belfast Dry Titanic Gin. The spirit, hand-crafted in small batches, is infused with seven organic botanicals including golden flax seed, which is said to impart a unique, smooth nutty flavour for added depth and character.

RRP is £37.50 for 70cl and £8.99 for 10cl, trade discount 20-25%. belfastgindistillery.com

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

7

SPIRITS & LIQUEURS

Small batch BRIGHTON GIN is made from 100% organic grain spirit, juniper, fresh orange and lime peel, locallygrown coriander seed and milk thistle. The distinctive blue/green bottle colour is inspired by Brighton’s famous seafront railings and HDFK ERWWOH LV ƓOOHG ODEHOOHG and wax-sealed by hand.

Bottle sizes are 70cl (RRP ÂŁ39/ trade ÂŁ25.30 ex VAT), 35cl midis (ÂŁ22/ ÂŁ13.75) and 5cl minis (ÂŁ6/ ÂŁ3.98). brightongin.com

Distilled in Bournemouth from British wheat and New Forest spring water, Dorset Dry is billed as a refreshing take on a London Dry gin. CONKER SPIRIT says it has bright and refreshing herbaceous notes from the Dorset-inspired botanicals of elderberries, marsh samphire DQG KDQGSLFNHG JRUVH ŴRZHUV Conker’s Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur is made with Dorsetroasted speciality coffee. Dorset Dry Gin 70cl (RRP £36.00), 35cl (£21.00), 5cl (£6.00) and Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur 70cl (RRP £31.00) and 35cl (£20.00). conkerspirit.co.uk

The BRITISH POLO GIN range is 100% organic, and quadruple distilled by hand in batches of 300 bottles. Produced in a wood-fuelled still ZLWK &HUHGLJLRQ VSULQJ ZDWHU LWĹ?V FHUWLĆ“HG E\ WKH Soil Association, vegan-friendly and gluten-free.

It was the only gin to win three stars at Great Taste 2018. British Polo Botanical Gin is available in 70cl (RRP ÂŁ33.33+VAT, trade ÂŁ25.30+VAT) and 5cl (RRP ÂŁ4.17+VAT/ÂŁ3.20+VAT).

There is also a Sloe Gin Liqueur, 70cl (RRP ÂŁ32.08+VAT/trade ÂŁ24.30+VAT) and 5cl (RRP ÂŁ4.17+VAT/ÂŁ25.30+VAT). britishpologin.co.uk

COTSWOLD DISTILLERY’S single malt whisky (46% abv, RRP ÂŁ44.95) aims to challenge preconceptions about what young (QJOLVK ZKLVN\ FDQ DFKLHYH ,WV Ĺ´DYRXUV DUH GHVFULEHG DV “peaches and apricots, butterscotch, marmalade and rich maltâ€?.

The Cotswolds Founder’s Choice (60.9% abv) is the distillery’s ƓUVW FDVN VWUHQJWK VLQJOH PDOW ZKLVN\ PDWXUHG LQ LWV UHFKDUUHG American oak red wine casks (RRP £64.95).

7KHUH LV DOVR D GU\ JLQ DEY PDGH ZLWK KDQG SHHOHG OLPHV and pink grapefruits for maximum citrus oil extraction (RRP ÂŁ34.95).

CONWY DISTILLERY has recently opened in, North Wales. This microdistillery will be producing small batch distilled gin, ŴDYRXUHG YRGND DQG Cocoacello. Run by Mark Baravelli along with his chocolatier wife Emma, Conwy will offer a range of spirits utilising cocoa beans from the couple’s chocolate business, Baravelli’s. The gin is available in 50ml (RRP £5) and 500ml (RRP £40) and Cocoacello liqueur is 50ml (RRP £5) and 500ml (RRP £35.00). conwydistillery.com

cotswoldsdistillery.com

BLACK TWIST Cold Brew Coffee Spirit (25% abv) LV FODLPHG WR EH WKH Ć“UVW spirit drink to combine speciality coffee and Irish whiskey using a cold brew process.

According to founder Conor Coughlan, the result is a drink with more authentic coffee character and less sweetness. Black Twist uses 100% natural ingredients, including speciality grade Arabica coffee from Kenya and Irish whiskey from West Cork. RRP ÂŁ34.99. blacktwist.com

Described as “small batch, craft spirits, inspired by the landscape and heritage of the Picts�, the range from BLACKFORD DISTILLERY includes Vesperis Pictish Vodka, created using local heather honey, heather blossom and organic apples, and Vesperis Pictish Gin with organic botanicals.

They are distilled in rural Aberdeenshire with local spring water, then hand bottled and labelled. blackfordcraftdistillery.co.uk

8

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

TAILORED TONICS

hand-crafted tonic waters lovingly made in small batches to complement and enhance fine gins

Call Andrew Peerless on 07540 841085 for more information

6ʠʖʢLɢ Է ,ʙʛʖQJWʝɚ

IS ENJOYED BY SO MANY CONNOISSEURS IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE WHAT THEY MIGHT HAVE TO SAY ABOUT IT – BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO IMAGINE…

Premium Irsai Oliver Grape Palinka Presented with a coveted 3-star accolade at this year’s GREAT TASTE AWARDS, Szicsek Premium Irsai Oliver Grape Palinka is an artisanal, double-distilled fruit spirit expertly crafted by Szicsek Distillery, a traditional family business located in the heart of Hungary. Being a 100% grape distillate, our distinguished palinka is made with no added sugar or additives. Enjoy plain, or use it as a base spirit to create your own cocktails with tonic or soda water. Available from our online webstore, alongside a range of award-winning authentic Hungarian palinkas, liquor-filled bonbons and gift boxes.

“ A soft mellow brandy with a surprisingly fresh cider nose, warming and refreshing on the palate with a lingering aftertaste of apple.”

(Fortnum & Mason)

“ What a tipple.... the most delicious Apple Brandy from Spirit of IImington.

Made in the Cotswolds.

Perfect for cocktails ERH HI½RMXIP] XSS KSSH to be left in the bottle!!

Cheers!”

(Prue Leith on Twitter)

Spirit of Ilmington Apple Brandy is available from distributors and can be found in quality restaurants, bars and retail outlets throughout the country. www.spiritofilmington.co.uk 07855 380845 INSTAGRAM: Spiritofilmington AND ON FACEBOOK: @spiritofilmington

PLEASE CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION VIA OUR WEBSITE:

www.szicsekpalinka.co.uk A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

OR BY TELEPHONE ON:

FOLLOW US ON

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

9

TASTE YOUR SPIRIT WITH POACHERS Our portfolio ranges from our lower in sugar high quinine Classic Dry Tonic with a hint of Irish thyme to our popular orange and Irish rosemary Citrus Tonic. The wild elderf lower in our Wild Tonic is hand cut in Macreddin Village in Wicklow and the organic apples in our Ginger Ale hail from the Highbank Orchard in Kilkenny. Our Irish Soda Water is renowned for mixing with premium spirits.

Poacher’s is popular within lively bars, restaurants and high end hotels who appreciate lower in sugar mixers bringing out the best in their spirits.

For more information or to order please call +353 (53) 910 6000 for Ireland, for UK enquiries contact www.importonics.co.uk or +44 (0)1388 205252 or email info@poacherswell.com

#poachersirishmixers www.poacherswell.com

TAKE A SHOT… Now you can pick from two flavoured ice-cold vodkas!

Our classic award winning, creamy Toffee flavour or our brand new, limited edition fiery Rhubarb & Ginger.

Serve from the freezer as shot, on the rocks, in a cocktail or simply served with a delicious mixer.

AVAILABLE ONLINE OR SEE WEBSITE FOR STOCKISTS

WWW.THUNDERVODKA.COM

10

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

SPIRITS & LIQUEURS

Sorting the grain from the chaff

One of the few UK distilleries following “grain-to-glass”, Copper Rivet Distillery speaks to LAUREN PHILLIPS why it guarantees full traceability and consistency DESPITE THE LARGE amount of arable

land and increasing number of gin-makers, only 12 out of the 315 distilleries in the UK are growing grains to make their own base spirit – a process otherwise known as “grain-to-glass”.

Among them is Copper Rivet Distillery, based in Chatham Historic Dockyard in Kent, which produces its Dockyard Gin 50cl (41.2% Abv), Vela Vodka 50cl (40% Abv) and Son of a Gun 50cl (47.4% Abv) using its own base spirit.

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

The distillery works with a farm 20 miles away on the Isle of Sheppey to grow its wheat, barley and rye. But only 75% of the annual harvest will make it to the distillery as any small grains and chaff are removed and milled for cattle feed. This is all part of the distillery’s quality control over every step in the process, and one of the main reasons it cites for following the eld to bottle method.

“From a pure sales and marketing perspective, it is a way of showing consumers that every bottle is clean and consistent in quality and taste,” says Matthew Russell, who co-founded Copper Rivet Distillery in 2016 with his father Bob and brother Stephen.

It also guarantees full traceability, he adds, whether its the sourcing of the local Kentish water that is boiled with the grains or pinpointing the eld that each grain has grown in.

In terms of taste, making its own base spirit gives the distillery the flexibility to add

some character, on top of which it can build a flavour pro le. opper Rivet s recipe for its grain spirit consists of 45% barley, 45% wheat for sweetness, and 10% rye to add a bit of spice. The distillery grinds and mashes these grains into a sugary water known as malt.

The malt is passed through a sieve to remove the spent grains and the liquid is added to a fermentation tank for seven days (as opposed to the typical three to four days) to allow the spirit to develop more flavour content. The base liquid is then transferred to the distilling pot to separate the ethanol and methanol. What’s left is a 28% abv alcohol, called “low wines”, which the distillery can then choose to turn into a 96% abv neutral spirit for its vodka and gin or a 94% abv grain whisky for its English grain spirit, Son of a Gun. The company uses a patented still, designed by Copper Rivet’s head distiller Abhi Banik, to create its gin using two botanical infusion techniques: maceration and vapour infusion.

Maceration involves steeping the botanicals in the base spirit. However heating botanicals at such a erce heat in the spirit caused the gin to develop vegetable flavours which Banik wanted to avoid.

“We tried vapour infusion, also known as the basket tradition, because the botanicals remain intact,” says Banik. “You get more flavours coming through and no vegetable notes but the gin was lacking body. That’s why vapour infusion gins are very light. They go really well in martini cocktails but when it comes to a G&T, you lose the gin after the third sip.”

Banik’s unique still has three chambers. he rst is the boiler house which heats water to a temperature of 121°C. Juniper berries, coriander seeds, grains of paradise and cardamom are steeped in the second chamber away from the heat of the boiler house to avoid any vegetal notes developing in the spirit. The more delicate botanicals elderflower, angelica root, orris root, and orange and lemon peel) are kept in the third chamber to allow for a vapour infusion.

“Our gin is quite botanical-forward, so after the rst trial had to cut down our gin recipe because the botanicals were getting over expressed, says Banik, adding that all the ingredients – apart from the juniper – were reduced by 30%.

The result is a 41.2.% abv gin which is dry with a citrus floral top note followed by a sweet, spicy mild note and a refreshing aftertaste.

So, next time you re holding a gin tasting event for your customers raise a glass to the eld it came from. copperrivetdistillery.com

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

11

Apple & Rhubarb Elderflower Pressé Traditional Lemonade Fiery Ginger Beer Raspberry Lemonade Blackcurrant Crush Strawberry & Mint

Ç AÇ’NORHILǚǢ

A sophisticated soft drinks range perfect for any occasion

HEARTÇ¢EAÇ¢EFÇ› HEARTÇ¢EAÇ¢E?FARÇ› WWW Ç AÇ’NORHILǚǢ CO UK

The award-winning Manchester Gin *

XXX NBODIFTUFSHJO DP VL t EJTUJMMFSZ!NBODIFTUFSHJO DP VL (SFBU 5BTUF "XBSE GPS .BODIFTUFS (JO 8JME 4QJSJU

12

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

SPIRITS & LIQUEURS ,QVSLUHG E\ WKH OX[XULDQW FKDUP RI WKH $UW 'HFR SHULRG '(&2 12 is described as “embodying WKH VSLULW RI WKH 5RDULQJ 7ZHQWLHVĹ? $ EOHQG RI botanicals are hand-crafted LQ EDWFKHV RI ERWWOHV WR FUHDWH D VPRRWK DEY JLQ ĹŠ DQ H[SRUW VWUHQJWK VSLULW VDLG WR GHOLYHU UHDO GHSWK RI FKDUDFWHU ,W LV DYDLODEOH LQ PO 553 e WUDGH e DQG PO 553 e WUDGH e RSWLRQV GHFRVSLULWV FR XN

DAPPA JUDSH PDUF VSLULW LV GLVWLOOHG E\ KDQG LQ 'HYRQ LQ DQ DXWKHQWLF ,WDOLDQ FRSSHU VWLOO XVLQJ JUDSH VNLQV IURP (QJOLVK YLQH\DUGV ,W FODLPV WR EH WKH Ć“UVW VSLULW RI LWV NLQG WR EH PDGH LQ WKH 8. 'DSSD KDV FOHDQ FULVS DQG JUDVV\ Ĺ´DYRXUV ZLWK KLQWV RI EHUULHV DQG HDUWK\ WRQHV ĹŠ D \RXQJ Ĺ´DYRXU EXW VWLOO FRPSOH[ DFFRUGLQJ WR LWV PDNHUV 'DSSD LV DYDLODEOH LQ JLIW ER[HV ZLWK JUDSSD glasses or in single bottles: 5cl (ÂŁ4 trade), 35cl e RU FO e

THE ECHLINVILLE DISTILLERY is a farm distillery crafting Echlinville single estate Irish SRW VWLOO JLQ 553 e LQ &RXQW\ 'RZQ The Great Taste 3-star winner is distilled from EDUOH\ JURZQ KDUYHVWHG DQG Ĺ´RRU PDOWHG RQ RZQHU 6KDQH %UDQLIIĹ?V IDPLO\ IDUP (FKOLQYLOOH LV DOVR WKH KRPH RI WKH 'XQYLOOHĹ?V ,ULVK :KLVNH\ EUDQG ZKLFK LQFOXGHV 'XQYLOOHĹ?V 3; <HDU 2OG 6LQJOH 0DOW 553 e 'XQYLOOHĹ?V 7KUHH &URZQV 9LQWDJH %OHQG 553 e 'XQYLOOHĹ?V 7KUHH &URZQV 3HDWHG :KLVNH\ 553 e DQG 'XQYLOOHĹ?V 95 <HDU 2OG 3RUW 0RXUDQW 5XP )LQLVK :KLVNH\ HFKOLQYLOOH FRP

GHYRQGLVWLOOHU\ FRP

FATTYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ORGANIC GIN DEY LV RUJDQLF DQG 6RLO $VVRFLDWLRQ FHUWLĆ&#x201C;HG 0DGH LQ EDWFKHV RI ERWWOHV LW LV GHVFULEHG DV Ĺ?D FOHDQ FULVS DQG UHIUHVKLQJ JLQ Ĺ? DQG D FODVVLF /RQGRQ 'U\ 1RW RQO\ LV WKH JLQ RUJDQLF EXW WKH JODVV ERWWOHV DUH VSUD\HG LQ RUJDQLF LQN WR EH PRUH HQYLURQPHQWDOO\ IULHQGO\ DQG VXVWDLQDEOH DQG WKHQ ZD[HG GLSSHG E\ KDQG 553 LV e IRU FO IDWW\VRUJDQLFVSLULWV FRP

A smart package

THE CORNISH DISTILLING COMPANY is one of several resident SURGXFHUV DW WKH 1RUWRQ %DUWRQ $UWLVDQ )RRG 9LOODJH where founders Richard and Fionagh Harding teamed XS ZLWK GLVWLOOHU 7RP 5HDG WR GHYHORS WKH UXP EDVHG .DONDU &RIIHH VSLULW 7KH %XGH EDVHG RSHUDWLRQ DOVR PDNHV D VSLFHG UXP FDOOHG 0RUYHQQD %RWK GULQNV FRPH LQ FO 553 e FO DQG FO ERWWOHV

Artisan producer EL:GIN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; based in Elgin, Scotland â&#x20AC;&#x201C; adds Scottish oats during distillation to gives its gin a GLVWLQFWLYHO\ VPRRWK FUHDP\ Ć&#x201C;QLVK Flavour notes come from locallysourced raspberries, strawberries and apples along with botanicals including MXQLSHU 8VLQJ WKH VLJQDWXUH JLQ DV LWV base, El:gin has added two liqueurs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Moray Mocha and Moray Berry â&#x20AC;&#x201C; together with a heather honey gin, and LW KDV UHFHQWO\ XQYHLOHG &RLUFH LWV Ć&#x201C;UVW YRGND

JHQXLQHEULWLVKUXP FRP

HOJLQ JLQ FR XN

The Orangery Gin from Shrewsbury based ENGLISH DRINKS COMPANY is a traditionally crafted gin, infused with Valencian oranges to give zesty, citrus notes and a delicate, VPRRWK Ć&#x201C;QLVK 7KH SURGXFHU recommends serving over ice with a good tonic and a slice RI RUDQJH $YDLODEOH LQ FO ERWWOH 553 e WUDGH SULFH LV e HQJOLVKGULQNVFRPSDQ\ FR XN

DYFI ORIGINAL GIN collected the 2018 Best British Gin Trophy at the Great British Food Awards, following a redesign of its packaging earlier in the year.

Dyfi Original is a classical styled gin made with botanicals foraged in the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Hand-bottled in limited quantities, its RRP is ÂŁ34.95.

G\Ć&#x201C;GLVWLOOHU\ FRP

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

13

SPIRITS & LIQUEURS GODMINSTER is best known for its burgundywaxed mini cheddar truckles, but it also produces a novel range of artisan hand-crafted vodka spirits, including horseradish and blackcurrant variants. Inspired by the fruits and roots grown on Godminster Farm, the drinks are made using English rye-based vodka and are naturally infused for 3-6 months. The range comes in 35cl (RRP 24.75, trade £14.95) and 5cl bottles. godminster.com

Distilled and bottled in ESKER’S Royal Deeside distillery, these are the only Scottish gins to be distilled with silver birch sap, tapped from the trees of the Kincardine Castle Estate where the distillery is located.

Esker Gin (70cl, RRP £36) and Esker Honey Spiced Gin (50cl, RRP £33) are distilled slowly in traditional copper stills before being cut with pure Highland water.

Taking its name from the rock closely associated with the north east of Scotland, GRANITE NORTH GIN is inspired by the rugged peaks and ancient forests of the Scottish Highlands. Handcrafted in small batches, it is distilled using water from the Cairngorm mountain range.

Available in four sizes: 70cl (RRP £38.50, trade £26.00) 50cl (RRP £32.00, trade £21.00), 10cl (RRP £10.00, trade £6.50) and 5cl (RRP £6.50, trade £4.00).

eskerspirits.com

granitenorthgin.com

GREENSAND RIDGE DISTILLERY launched in July 2015 with a mission to reduce food waste at the farm gate by fermenting and distilling quality fruit that supermarkets won’t take.

It combines these with local botanicals such as cobnuts to make a range of unique spirits. RRP for the rum is £36.00 (trade £22.50+vat and The Rye Cask is £39.95 (trade £24.75+vat). greensanddistillery.com

GENERATION DISTILLERY launched its Generation 11 Sussex Dry Gin in May 2018, distilling, bottling and labelling it by hand. The spirit is made with locally sourced botanicals, English coriander seed grown two villages away, local lavender, and water drawn in small batches from the distillery’s own well.

Generation 11 is available in 70cl (RRP £36, trade £24) and 20cl (£14/ £8), and there is a limited edition Barrel Rested Gin in 20cl (£18/£11). generationdistillers.co.uk

Distilled on the sly Sly Gin is hand made in small batches by husband and wife team Duncan and Alex Fox at their home in the Herefordshire countryside.

Alongside the ‘classic’ London Dry Sly Gin their HAVEN DISTILLERY makes Lemon Verbena Sly Gin, combining juniper with a natural ‘sherbet lemon’ twist, and Pink Grapefruit Sly Gin, with grapefruit zest, sweet orange and bright fresh lemon. All are 43% abv and sold in two sizes of bottle: 20cl (RRP £14) and 70cl (RRP £36).

Founded in 2011 by Dr John Walters, a former biochemist, ENGLISH SPIRIT distils a wide variety of premium spirits and liqueurs, in small 200 litre copper pot stills. Its core range includes vodka, gin, rum, single malt, apple brandy, sambuca, and a variety of vodka and gin liqueurs. It claims one of the hallmarks of its range is the smoothness of its spirits, which are all designed for sipping neat. englishspirit.uk

havendistillery.co.uk

14

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

Launching our New Exclusive Italian Artisan Craft Beer Range from Birra Salento Puglia.

Our selection of 7 delicious beers including Belgium, Lager, Pils and IPA! Also available on draught!

Visit www.tenutamarmorelle.com or call 01189298480 for more information

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

15

e ‘Lets rais

ily’

les fam o C e h t o st

a glas

Award Winning Distillery

Producing All Our Spirits From Grain To Glass.

01267 275395

PLAIN

AWARD-WINNING VODKA Based in Hertfordshire Old Vodka is a premium vodka with 11 delicious flavours to choose from.

This artisan vodka is created from a traditional Georgian family recipe.

It’s made in small batches and is triple filtered over charcoal to produce vodka at its best. Old Vodka Plain is the Great Taste award-winning base to all our flavours, so you can be sure of excellent quality.

www.oldvodka.co.uk 16

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

SPIRITS & LIQUEURS

HAYMAN S range of English gins is produced in the traditional way a two day process – just as it would when the distiller appeared in . he rm claims this allows the flavours to develop and marry before the gentle heat of the small batch copper pot still is introduced. Every gin is distilled to a year old family recipe, using English wheat.

HENSTONE DISTILLERY was established in Shropshire a year ago. Its , litre othe copper still is currently distilling gin, apple brandy and whisky, which, once aged in oak, will be available in .

Its current range includes ondon ry in . cl RR . trade ex A , avy Strength in . , cl, . ex A , RR . an oak aged Rosé in . cl, ex A , RR . and onpareil , an apple brandy distilled from the rm s own cider cl, ex A , RR . .

JIN TALOG single botanical London Dry Gin is made on a farm near Talog in rural Carmarthenshire, its name re ecting the spelling of gin in Welsh. It claims to have a secret method for coaxing the natural oils from the juniper berries to guarantee peak avour.

Each batch of 3 bottles is hand-crafted. jintalog.wales

henstonedistillery.com

haymansgin.com

Henley pleasure boating company MR HOBBS launched its eponymous gin in ay , featuring the company’s founding father Harry Hobbs on the bottle. r obbs in abv mixes traditional and local botanicals with a curl of orange peel. Mr obbs fruit flavoured gin li ueurs come in raspberry elderflower and rhubarb & ginger. The gin has an RR of trade A , while r obbs fruit flavoured gin li ueurs is RR trade .

A . mrhobbsgin.com

A Jeroboam of gin MANCHESTER GIN has created a . litre bottle of gin – a special edition Jeroboam which holds the e uivalent of nine standard bottles and retails at he small batch gin is distilled in three stills and makes only bottles per run. t is said to be infused with, and inspired by, botanicals synonymous with the north of England, including hand foraged dandelion and burdock, ground almond and liquorice root. The Jeroboams will be produced for two of the distiller’s four styles – Signature and Raspberry Infused.

.

Nine botanicals go into making ISLE OF HARRIS GIN including juniper, coriander, angelica root, orris root, cubebs, bitter orange peel, li uorice and cassia bark. But it s locally hand-harvested sugar kelp that is claimed to be the key to the subtle coastal notes that mark out this spirit.

The distillery says its distinctive bottle was designed to capture the beauty of Harris, evoking the sands of its legendary beaches and the island s ever-changing light. harrisdistillery.com

Meaning ‘cheers’ in Japanese, KANPAI is the name of the s rst sake brewery. It describes its output as a “modern, friendly and versatile style of sake using traditional Japanese techniques.” The range includes Fizu 11.5% abv – a sparkling, hopped, medium dry sake Sumi . abv clear, dry and savoury junmai sake and umo . abv cloudy, full bodied and smooth nigori sake. Available in ml bottles, .

RR or trade .

A , all anpai sakes are sulphite , gluten and preservative free. kanpai.london

manchestergin.co.uk

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

17

SPIRITS & LIQUEURS Based in the heart of Stirlingshire at the foot of the Trossachs in Callander, 0&48((1 *,1 describes its range as â&#x20AC;&#x153;intriguing and exciting, providing something more adventurous to the gin marketâ&#x20AC;?. The core line-up includes Super Premium Dry, sweet citrus, smokey chilli, mocha, spiced chocolate orange and chocolate mint, all with an RRP of ÂŁ33. mcqueengin.com

MASONS YORKSHIRE GIN was established in 2013 by Karl and Cathy Mason. Their spirit is made using traditional slow distillation methods in copper alembic stills, using Yorkshire water and a balance of botanicals.

This winter Masons brought back two limited editions: Steveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Apple, distilled with Arlington Pippin Apples, and The Slow Distilled Sloe. Both are in 70cl bottles, RRP ÂŁ39.

Since launching in 2015, the 0225/$1' 63,5,7 &2 has pioneered a sustainable juniper propagation programme on the moors surrounding its small Northumberland distillery. ,WV Ĺ´DJVKLS +HSSOH *LQ 553 e LV said to have gained a reputation for its â&#x20AC;&#x153;triple techniqueâ&#x20AC;? distillation method.

'RXJODV )LU Ĺ´DYRXUHG YRGND 553 e LV WKH Ć&#x201C;UVW LQ D QHZ OLPLWHG edition spirits range from Moorland.

masonsyorkshiregin.com

moorlandspirit.co

Many of the botanicals used in MOTHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 58,1 spirits are foraged or home-grown close to the distillerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Walthamstow base.

Its damson gin is made with its own Westmorland damsons, while its sloe gin uses hedgerow fruit foraged in East London and Essex. Both are aged for at least 12 months and available in 20cl (RRP ÂŁ14.95, trade ÂŁ9.20+vat) and 50cl (RRP ÂŁ27.50, trade ÂŁ17.85+VAT).

Its Old Tom gin is made with juniper, coriander, nutmeg, bay, vanilla pods and orange and lemon peel (RRP ÂŁ36.75, trade ÂŁ23.25+VAT). mothersruin.net

25.1(< *,1 &203$1< is a home-based family business based in Burray, Orkney. All its ingredients are cold-compounded to create three gins: Johnsmas (41.3%), Mikkelmas (41.3%) and Rhubarb Old Tom (43%).

Available in 50cl hand-labelled 50cl ceramic bottles, Johnsmas and Mikkelmas have an RRP of ÂŁ30-ÂŁ35, with Rhubarb Old Tom selling at ÂŁ33-ÂŁ38. orkneygincompany.com

Free â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;yo, ho, hoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with every bottle 3,5$7(Ĺ?6 *52* is an independent rum company based in London, specialising in premium aged rum and bespoke gift sets.

The range includes Pirateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grog Five Year Rum (37.5%, 70cl RRP ÂŁ30), super-premium World Rum Award winner Pirateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grog No.13 (40%, 70cl, RRP ÂŁ79), the Black Ei8ht Coffee Rum (25%, 50cl, RRP ÂŁ30), and the brand new Pirateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grog Spiced (37.5% 70cl, RRP ÂŁ32).

Each rum is available in a gift set, which is housed in a specially designed and handcrafted wooden chest (RRPs ÂŁ65-ÂŁ110). piratesgrogrum.com

2018 was an exciting year for THE OXTON LIQUEUR CO, which collected Ć&#x201C;YH *UHDW 7DVWH DZDUGV LQFOXGLQJ the only rhubarb gin liqueur to be awarded 2 stars.

Founder Christopher Eadie uses IUHVK IUXLW DQG KDQGSLFNHG HOGHUĹ´RZHU which is then allowed to steep for several months to achieve what he describes as "incredible depth of Ĺ´DYRXU Oxtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bestselling liqueurs LQFOXGH 5KXEDUE *LQ %UDPEOH :KLVN\ and the evocative Christmas Vodka. oxtonliqueurs.co.uk

18

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

Strikingly Smooth Gin DISTILLED IN BRISTOL 6 O’clock Gin is a strikingly smooth artisan gin, handcrafted in small batches, using traditional skills and only the best natural ingredients.

The name was inspired by a long-held family tradition of indulging in a G&T at 6 O’clock; a custom still enjoyed at the distillery and shared by gin-lovers all over the world.

W W W.W I C K E DWO L F G I N . CO M

www.6oclockgin.com

P LE A S E D R I N K R E S P O N S I B LY

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

19

The tinycompany tipple

Scrumptious tipples make using locally sourced fruits, Our 3 Heritage beers are inspired by Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich brewing heritage, looking back through recipes from the 19th Century and giving them a lift with some modern British and New World hops.

berries & blooms gathered in East Anglia

All our Heritage Ales are brewed to be great if drunk today or can be laid down and aged to allow their flavours to evolve.

Global Beer Awards Silver 1820 Porter.

Call now 07594 383 195 20

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

www.beerblefish.co.uk

Rhubarb Gin

www.thetinytipplecompany.co.uk

thetinytippleco@gmail.com

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

SPIRITS & LIQUEURS

Two worlds in one bottle Latin American spirit meets Cornish imagery in premium rum start-up Rathlee Distilling. MICK WHITWORTH speaks to founders Paola and Stuart Leather as they seek investment to take the brand forward.

LAST NIGHT (as Daphne du Maurier might have written) I dreamt I went to Rathlee again.

Atlantic waves breaking on rugged granite cliffs, clinker-built boats hauled high on the shingle, the constant mewing of gulls... aint memories of this ornish shing village – did I go there on holiday as a child?

– have been stirred by the evocative name of a new spirit developed near England’s south-west tip by husband and wife Stuart and Paola Leather.

Except that, as the couple explain when we meet at the Duchy of Cornwall café and plant shop in Lostwithiel, one of their local stockists, there’s no such place at Rathlee. Not in Cornwall, anyway (there’s one in Ireland). It’s just an anagram of their surname.

So much for my memory.

Besides, a closer look at the mural-style label on their golden barrel-aged rum (RRP £35, 70cl) reveals some distinctly un-Cornish looking birds, beasts and flora alongside the classic boats, barrels and seagulls.

While Stuart Leather is Cornish born, his wife hails from Bogotá in Colombia, and both the Rathlee branding and the product itself are fusions of these two very different cultures.

Their rum is column-distilled to the couple s speci cation in atin America and part-matured there in American light oak ex-bourbon barrels before being shipped to the UK. It’s further barrel-aged in a bonded warehouse in Bristol, then blended with Cornish water and bottled by hand at a small production base near Lostwithiel.

Harvey Nichols in London has already bought into this tale of two worlds, which delivers a rum quite distinct from the

Because of Paola’s heritage we wanted to produce the lighter style of rum they drink in Latin America

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

dark stuff usually associated with Cornish seafarers and smugglers.

“Because of Paola’s heritage we wanted to produce the lighter style they drink in Latin America,” says Stuart. “What we were seeing around here were dark, quite old sipping rums – like Navy Rum – so we thought a nice golden rum would be really interesting.”

Column distilling, while sometimes seen as more ‘industrial’, is also more sophisticated, giving the distiller more control over the end result and generally a purer alcohol. Stuart contrasts this with the big, bold, funky flavours from aribbean rums produced (like single malt whiskies) in traditional pot stills.

Paola describes her native rums as “very alive, very fruity and very smooth”. Rathlee shares these characteristics, she says, but its smoothness is further enhanced by the use

of Cornish water in the blending.

Spirits specialists certainly appear to approve of both Rathlee Golden Barrel-Aged Rum and its striking visual presentation - the latter created by drinks design and branding agency Stranger & Stranger.

Rathlee has gained a taste rating of 4.5 out of 5 from global drinks website Difford’s Guide, a bronze for taste and silver for design in the 2018 Bartender Brand Awards, silver in the Rum & Cachaça Masters and, most recently, gold and silver in the Harper’s Design Awards. That’s on top of Rathlee’s rst reat aste award.

Now the Leathers are seeking more outlets beyond the West Country – and an outside investor to help them take the business to the next level.

Or rather, to take them back to their original vision, since Plan A was to produce their own base spirit in Lostwithiel, drawing on Paola’s substantial drinks experience.

A food science graduate, she uali ed with the UK’s Institute of Brewing & Distilling before spending seven happy years as technical brewer and quality manager with St Austell Brewery. She has also been head of brewing services at advisory body Campden BRI and head brewer with Skinners in Truro. So hands-on production is in her blood, but necessity has turned both Paola and Stuart – a former BBC website developer into marketers rst and foremost.

After successfully applying to HMRC for a licence to distil rum back in 2012 they initially bought their own pilot-scale still from ortugal to help them nd the taste pro le they aspired to. Stuart says e spent a year trialling different ingredients, fermentation times and distillate characteristics until we were happy.

“But then it became a case of ‘what do we do now?’ We couldn’t afford the equipment we needed to produce large volumes, so we made the decision to work with a distilling partner in Latin America.”

A non-disclosure agreement means the Leathers can’t say who that partner is, only that, because of regulation and cost barriers, it’s not in Colombia. But if they can secure the necessary investment in 2019, phase one of their plan will be to buy their own barrel storage and phase two will see them bring distilling back to Cornwall – ideally using panela, the raw sugar from Colombia.

“You can use any sugar to make rum,” says Stuart, “but panela would be a great way for us to underline our blend of cultures.” rathleedistilling.com

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

21

HONEY

ROSE HIP

HONEY

ROSE HIP

because it's there

B L A C KC U R R A N T LIQUEUR

BL ACKCURRANT DAIQUIRI Ť PO :KLWH UXP Ť PO %ULWLVK &DVVLV Ť PO /LPH MXLFH

6KDNH WKH %ULWLVK &DVVLV 5XP DQG OLPH MXLFH LQ D FRFNWDLO VKDNHU IXOO RI LFH 6WUDLQ LQWR D FKLOOHG 0DUWLQL JODVV *DUQLVK ZLWK EODFNFXUUDQWV LI \RX KDYH WKHP 6LW EDFN UHOD[ VLS VORZO\ DQG LPDJLQH WKH VRXQG RI ZDYHV RQ WKH EHDFK DQG VDQG EHWZHHQ \RXU WRHV

#DARINGTOBEDIFFERENT 01544 340241 www.whiteherondrinks.co.uk 22

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

To stock Spirit of George contact LWC, Hammonds of Knutsford or Master of Malt. For more information search bighilldistillery.com

T

WILL

UR B YO

ÂŽ

Great story, Great look, Great Taste.

WHA ?

E

GREENSANDDISTILLERY.COM

This LiV>Â&#x201C;i iÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;}i >Â?Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E;½Ă&#x192; Â?Â&#x2C6;viÂ&#x2021;>vwĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152; Ă&#x153;Â&#x2026;iÂ&#x2DC; ÂľĂ&#x2022;iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;i` Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC; Â&#x2026;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192; Ă&#x20AC;i>Ă&#x192;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x192; vÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC; >Ă&#x152;Ă&#x152;iÂ&#x201C;ÂŤĂ&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} Ă&#x152;Â&#x153; VÂ&#x153;Â&#x2DC;ÂľĂ&#x2022;iĂ&#x20AC; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i >ÂŤÂŤ>Ă&#x20AC;iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Â?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x192;V>Â?>LÂ?i Ă&#x203A;iĂ&#x20AC;iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x152; L>VÂ&#x17D; Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC; ÂŁÂ&#x2122;Ă&#x201C;{° /Â&#x2026;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192; Â&#x2026;>Â&#x2DC;`Â&#x2021;VĂ&#x20AC;>vĂ&#x152;i` }Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;] `iÂ?Â&#x2C6;VÂ&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192;Â?Ă&#x17E; `Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026; > Â&#x2026;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152; Â&#x153;v Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201C;>Â?>Ă&#x17E;>Â&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;i>] Â&#x2026;>Ă&#x192; LiiÂ&#x2DC; VĂ&#x20AC;i>Ă&#x152;i` >Â&#x2DC;` ÂŤiĂ&#x20AC;viVĂ&#x152;i` Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC; Â&#x153;LLiĂ&#x20AC;Â?iĂ&#x17E;] Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x192;Â&#x2026;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x20AC;i] Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i Ă&#x203A;Â&#x2C6;Â?Â?>}i Ă&#x153;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x20AC;i iÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;}i Ă&#x153;>Ă&#x192; LÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2DC; >Â&#x2DC;` Ă&#x20AC;>Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;i`° Â&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;LĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x152;i >Â&#x2DC;` Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC; ViÂ?iLĂ&#x20AC;>Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC; Â&#x153;v Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC; Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;`Â&#x153;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;>LÂ?i Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x153; >Â&#x2DC;` Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x192;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x20AC;>Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;] Ă&#x153;i >Ă&#x192;Â&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022; Ă&#x152;Â&#x153; Ă&#x20AC;>Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;i > }Â?>Ă&#x192;Ă&#x192; Ă&#x152;Â&#x153; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i spirit of George.

ND B LE

Greensand Ridge specialises in Gins, Fruit Brandies and Rums, making spirits with a ĹŻĹ˝Ä?Ä&#x201A;ĹŻ Ĺ?ĹśĹ&#x2021;ĆľÄ&#x17E;ĹśÄ?Ä&#x17E;Í&#x2022; ĆľĆ?Ĺ?ĹśĹ? Ć?ĆľĆ?Ć&#x161;Ä&#x201A;Ĺ?ĹśÄ&#x201A;Ä?ĹŻÄ&#x17E; Ć&#x2030;Ć&#x152;Ä&#x201A;Ä?Ć&#x;Ä?Ä&#x17E;Ć? and turning surplus produce from local Ĺ?Ć&#x152;Ĺ˝Ç Ä&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ć? Ĺ?ĹśĆ&#x161;Ĺ˝ ÄŽĹśÄ&#x17E; Ć?Ć&#x2030;Ĺ?Ć&#x152;Ĺ?Ć&#x161;Ć?Í&#x2DC;

Make your own gin in one of our sessions, approx 1.5 hours, PU V\Y +L]VU .PU :JOVVS ,_WLY[ Z[HÉ&#x2C6; [V N\PKL `V\ L]LY` Z[LW VM [OL ^H` 0KLHS MVY JVYWVYH[L L]LU[Z ^L Y\U ZLZZPVUZ KHPS` PU [OL morning & afternoon for groups of up to 12 people. :THSS NYV\WZ ^LSJVTL VY L]LU PUKP]PK\HSZ >L OH]L TPUP Z[PSSZ H]HPSHISL LHJO JHU THRL H \UPX\L ISLUK ^P[O VY WLVWSL WLY Z[PSS

www.devonginschool.co.uk

01803 812 509

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

SPIRITS & LIQUEURS ROUNDWOOD GIN is produced in extrasmall batches before being bottled and labelled by founders Emily Robertson and Rupert Waters and their small team. The gin is distilled with elderberries for a fruity lift on a classic dry recipe. A combination of maceration and vapour-infusion methods are used in the distillation process before the gin passes over a number of bubble plates inside the copper hybrid still.

Roundwood London Dry Gin is available in 70cl bottles, RRP ÂŁ36, trade ÂŁ21.90 +VAT.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;the perfect tonicâ&#x20AC;?

roundwooddistillery.co.uk

RELIQUUM London Dry Gin (41% abv, RRP ÂŁ35) is made using the citrus botanical Calamondin and an eau de vie made from the home farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excess Opal and Braeburn apples â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the name Reliquum comes from the LatIn for â&#x20AC;&#x153;all that remains".

Other varieties include Reliquum Plum (16% abv) made with Juicy Lizzy plums, and Reliquum Apricot (20% abv), made with tree-ripened apricots.

Both have an RRP of ÂŁ30 for 70cl.

SHED 1 DISTILLERY in Ulverston, Cumbria, was launched in a 7â&#x20AC;&#x2122;x7â&#x20AC;&#x2122; garden shed by Andy and Zoe Arnold-Bennett in October 2016. Their award-winning range includes Revenge (44% abv), Fancy Frolic (43%) and Giggle in the Ginnel (43%) and seasonal batches of Chilli Fest (44%), Festive Tipple (43%) and Shed Loads of Love (41%). All come in 50cl bottles, (RRP ÂŁ35, trade ÂŁ20.83 +VAT) and 10cl (RRP ÂŁ11, trade ÂŁ6.67 +VAT).

Going against tradition with notes of lavender, mulberry and honey, POTHECARY GIN combines hand-picked premium organic botanical ingredients from around the world. They include Serbian juniper berries, Provence ODYHQGHU Ĺ´RZHUV %XOJDULDQ WLOLD Ĺ´RZHUV $QDWROLDQ EODFN PXOEHUULHV and Sicilian lemon peel. RRP is ÂŁ40-45. pothecarygin.co.uk

shed1distillery.com

reliquum.uk

SILVER SWIFT is a range of pre-mixed natural botanical spritzers at 5% abv, with a 250ml serving containing less than 100 calories. Free from UHĆ&#x201C;QHG VXJDUV DUWLĆ&#x201C;FLDO VZHHWHQHUV DQG SUHVHUYDWLYHV WKH UDQJH LV DOVR gluten-free and vegan-friendly. Spiced Pear Gin, Wild Rose Gin, Basil Blush Vodka and Tipsy Iced Tea Vodka all have an RRP of ÂŁ3.50 (250ml). silverswiftdrinks.com

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a shore thing SALCOMBE DISTILLING CO boasts of being one of the few distilleries in the world directly accessible by boat.

Its flagship Start Point gin (pictured right) is a London Dry featuring 13 botanicals, and comes in two sizes: 70cl (RRP ÂŁ40) and 5cl (RRP ÂŁ6).

The chef-inspired Salcombe Gin Voyager Series includes Arabella, made with Michael Caines MBE, Mischief created with Mark Hix MBE and Guiding Star, crafted with Dirk Niepoort. Each comes in a white ceramic 50cl bottle with a presentation box (RRP ÂŁ65).

Salcombeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s FinIsterre is a cask-aged gin made in collaboration with sherry house Bodegas Tradiçion (RRP ÂŁ65). salcombegin.com

SILENT POOL is a premium UK distiller that launched in 2014 on the Albury Estate in the heart of the Surrey Hills, using water from the spring-fed Silent Pool along with 24 botanicals. It describes its London Dry as â&#x20AC;&#x153;a rich and clean juniper-driven VSLULW ZLWK Ĺ´RUDO OD\HUV RI lavender and chamomile, QRWHV RI FLWUXV DQG NDIĆ&#x201C;U lime, enhanced by local honey for a wonderfully VPRRWK Ć&#x201C;QLVKĹ? 553 LV ÂŁ37 for 70cl. silentpooldistillers.com

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

23

SPIRITS & LIQUEURS Yorkshire rhubarb and raspberries add a "tangy pleasantness and subtle sweetness" to a new pink variant to the familiar Hedgerow Gin from SLOEMOTION. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been careful not to overshadow the gentle Ĺ´DYRXUV RI RXU +HGJHURZ Gin with the rhubarb,â&#x20AC;? says Sloemotionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Joff Curtoys, adding that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;delightfully lightâ&#x20AC;? newcomer is perfect ZLWK DQ HOGHUĹ´RZHU WRQLF Trade price is ÂŁ23.95 per 70cl bottle (RRP ÂŁ38.95). sloemotion.com

SPIRIT OF ILMINGTONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apple brandy is made from apples harvested from orchards in the North Cotswold village of Ilmington. The brandy has received high praise from celebrity chef Prue Leith and one of its stockists )RUWQXP 0DVRQ ZKLFK GHVFULEHV LW DV D Ĺ?VRIW mellow brandy with a surprisingly fresh cider noseâ&#x20AC;? and a â&#x20AC;&#x153;lingering after taste of appleâ&#x20AC;?.

VSLULWRĆ&#x201C;OPLQJWRQ FR XN

6 Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;CLOCK GIN has released a limited-edition 999 bottles of a 25% abv Ć&#x201C;YH \HDU DJHG VORH JLQ made with the distilleryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ĺ´DJVKLS 2Ĺ?FORFN /RQGRQ Dry and aged on the IUXLW 7KH Ĺ´DYRXU RIIHUV a hint of almond that has migrated from the stone of the sloe, the producer says.

2Ĺ?FORFN )LYH <HDU Aged Sloe Gin comes in a 35cl bottle, packed in a bespoke presentation box, RRP ÂŁ50.

RFORFNJLQ FRP

TWISTING SPIRITS offers a range of three Ĺ´DYRXUHG JLQV ZLWK ERWDQLFDOV GLVWLOOHG XQGHU YDFXXP WR SUHVHUYH WKHLU Ĺ´DYRXU 7KH OLQH XS FRPSULVHV .DIĆ&#x201C;U /LPH /HPRQJUDVV (DUO *UH\ Tea and Douglas Fir. The trio are available in 70cl (RRP ÂŁ39.00) and 20cl (RRP ÂŁ15.00) options, as well as a gift pack of all three 20cl bottles (ÂŁ45.00).

WHITTAKERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S makes a traditional Sloe with Honey Gin at 40% abv (RRP ÂŁ30) using all- natural ingredients.

The gin is subtly sweetened with honey harvested from hives located two miles from the distillery.

Recently launched Winter Solstice is made with signature botanicals including sultanas, raisins, currants, bitter orange, star anise, cloves and cinnamon.

RRP is ÂŁ37.50 whittakersgin.com

British Cassis, from WHITE HERON DRINKS, can be traced from bush to bottle on Jo Hilditchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s farm on the borders of Herefordshire and Wales.

The producer says that British Cassis is â&#x20AC;&#x153;less cloying than its French counterpart and slightly less alcoholicâ&#x20AC;?. It comes in three sizes, boxed or unboxed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 50ml, 200ml and 500ml. whiteherondrinks.co.uk

twistingspirits.co.uk

Cuppa with a kick TIPSY TEA has combined alcohol and tea to produce a range of liqueurs that can be served hot or cold.

The flavours include Long Island Spiced Tea (made with spiced rum, black tea, chai, cola and lemon), MoTea-To (made with white rum, black tea, mint and lime) and Comfortable Ginger Toddy (made with whisky, black tea, ginger, honey, lemon).

Adding hot water will produce a â&#x20AC;&#x153;refreshing alternative to mulled wine" says Tipsy Tea, while sparkling water or wine will produce a cold cocktail.

Available in 70cl bottles, RRP ÂŁ20, trade ÂŁ15.

Exmoor's WICKED WOLF gin is pot-distilled at its home on the banks of the River Lyn using 11 botanicals.

The resulting 42% abv spirit is said to combine â&#x20AC;&#x153;a IDPLOLDU WUDGLWLRQDO Ĺ´DYRXU with a contemporary, yet restrained characterâ&#x20AC;?. wickedwolfgin.com

tipsytea.co.uk

24

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

elgin-gin.co.uk

Distilled & bottled in Elgin, Moray.

Why call it anything else?

This is no ordinary gin...

We have created an expert infusion of locally grown strawberries, raspberries and apples with a unique combination of Scottish oats and botanicals.

THE BOTHY BECKONS For our full range of award winning spirits and liqueurs contact info@ginbothy.co.uk www.ginbothy.co.uk

H A N D C R A F T E D I N T H E G L E N S O F S C OT L A N D

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

25

WINE

Mark Newton Photography

Scarcity value

Big brands and faux craft offerings have stripped the meaning from “premium”, but there’s a higher tier of niche beers that more than justify a super-premium tag, as PETE BROWN reports LAST YEAR, A NEW PUB opened near me selling a range of craft beers. Some of these beers are pretty strong, so they sell them in thirds rather than halves or pints.

This particular beer cost £3 for a third.

“Nine quid for a pint? What a rip off!” said some of my friends. After all, it’s just beer, isn’t it?

Well, no. Cloaking Device, from the Brooklyn Brewery, was only available on draught in five pubs in the whole of the UK. It had been aged for nine months in French oak red wine barrels after brewing.

It was then bottled with champagne yeast for a secondary fermentation in the bottle.

It was also 10% ABV. A third of a pint is 189ml, the closest legal measure for beer to a glass of wine.

Try and find me a pub where even the cheapest, crappiest glass of house red is on sale for as little as £3 for a 175ml glass.

If something is the same strength as wine, has the depth and complexity of fine wine, and is made with as much care, attention and time, why should it not cost the same?

Brooklyn Brewery’s Garrett Oliver may be one of the world’s greatest brewers, but he’s also a connoisseur of food and drink more broadly. He’s fond of pointing out that in France, there’s wine that costs thousands of pounds a bottle, and wine that you pour into your own container at a petrol station for a couple of euros.

26

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

Beer may be rooted near the cheaper end of that spectrum, but this means the greatest beers in the world cost the same as a half-decent bottle of plonk.

What makes a beer ‘super-premium’?

Don’t go to Google to find out – Asahi UK have been spending a lot of time positioning their brands Pilsner Urquell and Peroni as the cornerstone of the ‘super-premium’ market. They’re perfectly good beers, but they’re only ‘superpremium’ in a world where marketers have made good old ‘premium’ a nearmeaningless word.

A truly super-premium beer is going to be quite different from a typical pint of lager. This could be down to one or more techniques or processes that take extra time and resource.

Find me a pub where even the cheapest, crappiest glass of house red is on sale for as little as £3 for a 175ml glass

Ageing in whisky casks is one way brewers are adding genuine character to higher-priced beers

High alcohol: Britain has always had a tradition of old ales and barley wines brewed to a higher ABV so they last and evolve in the bottle. This is perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of brewing: a 9% ABV beer is still substantially weaker than a glass of wine, and no one is saying you have to drink it by the pint.

Limited editions: Scarcity raises value.

There are now one-offs and limited editions that beer geeks will queue overnight for – if the beer is good enough, and the hype is done as well as the brewing.

Barrel ageing: Putting finished beer into pre-loved wood can add character from four things: the wood itself; the barrel’s previous occupant; any microflora still living in the barrel; and the effects of time.

The permutations here are genuinely new territory for curious brewers.

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

SUPER-PREMIUM BEERS 0DUN 1HZWRQ 3KRWRJUDSK\

Nine special beers to stock (if \RX FDQ Ć&#x201C;QG WKHP

5DWHG E\ KRZ GLIĆ&#x201C;FXOW WKH\ DUH WR JHW KROG of â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5 stars being the PRVW HOXVLYH 'RQĹ?W DVVXPH WKDW WKH PRUH DYDLODEOH RQHV DUH DQ\ OHVV VSHFLDO WKDQ WKH UDUHVW

BrewDog Abstrakt ,Q %UHZ'RJ ZRUOG HYHU\WKLQJ LV SURFODLPHG DZHVRPH DQG UHYROXWLRQDU\ ,Q UHDOLW\ VRPHWLPHV LW LV VRPHWLPHV LW LVQĹ?W 7KHUH DUH PRUH KLWV WKDQ PLVVHV LQ WKH RFFDVLRQDO OLPLWHG UHOHDVH $EVWUDNW UDQJH DQG WKH KLWV FDQ EH VHQVDWLRQDO brewdog.com RRP: IURP e SHU PO ERWWOH 6FDUFLW\ 5DWLQJ

Fullerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vintage Ale )LUVW EUHZHG LQ WR FHOHEUDWH WKH EHVW KRSV DQG EDUOH\ )XOOHUĹ?V KDG EUHZHG ZLWK WKDW \HDU LW ZDV QHYHU WKH LGHD WR DJH WKHVH EHHUV EXW SHRSOH VDYHG WKHP Ĺ&#x152;9HUWLFDO WDVWLQJVĹ? RI GLIIHUHQW YLQWDJHV UHYHDO WKH EHHU GRHVQĹ?W VLPSO\ JURZ ROG DQG VWDOH GLIIHUHQW FKDUDFWHULVWLFV HEE DQG Ĺ´RZ RYHU WKH \HDUV OLNH VLQH ZDYHV fullers.co.uk RRP: e SHU PO ERWWOH H[SUHVVLRQ WR e H[SUHVVLRQ

6FDUFLW\ 5DWLQJ WR

Deus Brut Des Flandres (VVHQWLDOO\ D &KDPSDJQH RI PDOW WKLV VWURQJ %HOJLDQ JROGHQ DOH LV EUHZHG ZLWK &KDPSDJQH \HDVW DQG XQGHUJRHV D ERWWOH FRQGLWLRQLQJ SURFHVV LQ &KDPSDJQH FDYHV LGHQWLFDO WR WKDW RI WKH IDPRXV Ć&#x201C;]] bestbelgianspecialbeers. be RRP: e SHU PO ERWWOH 6FDUFLW\ 5DWLQJ

Chimay Grand Reserve Barrel Aged 7KH ELJJHVW RI WKH IDPRXV %HOJLDQ 7UDSSLVW DOHV WKLV LV D VWXQQLQJ EHHU HYHQ EHIRUH LWV VHFRQGDU\ DJHLQJ LQ ZRRGHQ EDUUHOV chimay.com/en/ RRP: e SHU PO ERWWOH 6FDUFLW\ 5DWLQJ

Orkney Dark Island Reserve $Q HDUO\ SLRQHHU RI DJHLQJ VWURQJ DOHV LQ ROG ZKLVN\ FDVNV WKLV LV ULFK DQG SXQFK\ DV ZHOO DV VXEWOH DQG PXOWL OD\HUHG Ĺ&#x160; D PDUULDJH RI HDV\ JRLQJ UHOD[HG EHHU GULQNLQJ DQG WKH PHOORZ UHĹ´HFWLRQ RI ZKLVN\ orkneybrewery.co.uk RRP: e SHU PO ERWWOH 6FDUFLW\ 5DWLQJ

Thornbridge Serpent 7KRUQEULGJH FROODERUDWHG ZLWK WKH %URRNO\Q %UHZHU\ WR SURGXFH D VWURQJ EDUUHO DJHG %HOJLDQ VW\OH DOH %XW WKH\ WRRN WKLQJV RQH VWHS IXUWKHU E\ DGGLQJ FLGHU OHHV WKH VROLGV OHIW DIWHU IHUPHQWDWLRQ WR WKH EDUUHOV WR FUHDWH D JURXQG EUHDNLQJ K\EULG 6QDNHELWH WKLV FHUWDLQO\ LVQĹ?W thornbridgebrewery.co.uk RRP: e SHU PO ERWWOH 6FDUFLW\ 5DWLQJ

Cantillon RosĂŠ de Gambrinus Ĺ&#x152;6RXUĹ? EHHUV VSOLW RSLQLRQ OLNH QR RWKHU &DQWLOORQ LV WKH ROGHVW VXUYLYLQJ EUHZHU RI WUDGLWLRQDO %HOJLDQ ODPELF EHHUV VSRQWDQHRXVO\ IHUPHQWHG E\ RUJDQLVPV LQ WKH DLU WKHQ DJHG IRU XS WR WKUHH \HDUV LQ RDN EDUUHOV EHIRUH \RXQJ DQG ROG DUH EOHQGHG $OO WKHLU EHHUV DUH VSHFLDO 7KLV LV WKHLU GLYLVLYH PDVWHUSLHFH cantillon.be RRP: e SHU PO ERWWOH 6FDUFLW\ 5DWLQJ

Goose Island Bourbon County 7KH ZRUOG SLRQHHU RI %RXUERQ EDUUHO DJHLQJ XVHG WR EH IDLUO\ HDV\ WR JHW KROG RI WKHQ LW IHOO LQWR WKH FOXWFKHV RI SURIHVVLRQDO PDUNHWHUV 7KH 8. JHWV VHYHUDO KXQGUHG ERWWOHV RQ HDFK \HDUĹ?V 1RYHPEHU UHOHDVH gooseisland.com RRP: e SHU PO ERWWOH 6FDUFLW\ 5DWLQJ

Westvleteren 12 ,Q RUGHU WR JHW \RXU KDQGV RQ WKH ZRUOGĹ?V PRVW FRYHWHG EHHU \RX QHHG WR PDNH DQ DSSRLQWPHQW RQ D SDUWLFXODU GD\ GULYH WR WKH PRQDVWHU\ LQ %HOJLXP TXHXH IRU KRXUV DQG EX\ \RXU VWULFW DOORFDWLRQ VLJQLQJ D GRFXPHQW SURPLVLQJ QRW WR UH VHOO LW ,WĹ?V 2. LI \RX GR Ĺ&#x160; ZH ZRQĹ?W VQLWFK sintsixtus.be RRP: e SHU PO ERWWOH 6FDUFLW\ 5DWLQJ

Mixed fermentation: Brewing beer with champagne yeast, wine yeast, cider lees or wild, uncultured yeasts introduces a randomising element, creating beers that in all likelihood can never quite be replicated.

Collaboration: Brewing is a social business, where brewers think of each other as friends and colleagues rather than (just) rivals. When they get together to co-

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

create a beer, they like to show off a little.

Any one of these attributes is likely to produce a beer to remember. But chances are a barrel-aged beer is also going to be high in alcohol, a collaboration is also going to be a limited edition, and so on.

In these days of the craft beer boom, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s certainly a large amount of hype around many of these beers. But taken on their own merits, they are capable of

beating wine at its own game, standing up to complex food, and changing perceptions of what beer can be. In context, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why even a ÂŁ7 third of a pint can be a bargain â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the right beer. Ĺ&#x2DC; :ULWHU EURDGFDVWHU DQG FRQVXOWDQW 3HWH %URZQ LV FKDLUPDQ RI WKH *XLOG RI %HHU :ULWHUV

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

27

01302 770224 info@McCallumsLiqueurs.co.uk McCallumsLiqueurs.co.uk

Award winning liqueurs, traditionally crafted by hand

Award winning liqueurs, crafted by hand in small batches using traditionally smooth English gin infused in small batches smooth English with using our home grown fruits. gin infused with our home grown fruits.

The McCallums range of gin liqueurs are versatile, inviting, delicately balanced of natural fruit flavours.

The McCallums range ofand gin full liqueurs are versatile, inviting,

delicatelyybalanced and full of natural fruit flavours.

,WJǧǹ ȓȜȤYJ ǧǿȜȦI KTǶ ȢǼȦ 8ZRDzǪȦ +WǼNǹȤ ,ǮS ɁǯșZǪǼȦ

Specialist Training for Commercial Distilling Quality craft spirits start with quality training.

Covering all aspects from processes and production, equipment selection, business planning, taxation and marketing, our 3 day Start Up Distilling course has been the platform for many successful distilleries in the UK and beyond.

2019 start dates: > 25th February > 1st July > 16th September > 2nd December

Tap us up for more info or to book a place contact +44 (0) 191 303 6825 or info@brewlab.co.uk FOLLOW US

www.brewlab.co.uk 28

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

Top of the hops The booming market for limited-edition and small-batch beers means that new brews are launching every month. LAUREN PHILLIPS highlights some of the newest kids on the block in beers and ciders.

Rather than traditional malt, hops and yeast, LOWLANDER BEER brews botanicals for its beers. ts new .

AB Botanicals nfusions sees ginger, yu u, kaf r lime leaves and grapefruit combined with natural teas and beers to create a lightly alcoholic beverage.

Available in two varieties: yuzu & grapefruit and ginger kaf r lime.

RR . , cl bottles.

BEER & CIDER

AS A , which sustainably brews beer from surplus bread, has this year launched its Born & Bread American Pale Ale. The new beer is made from fresh surplus bread, malted grain and Centennial and Cascade hops, which give the beer its passionfruit and citrus aromas and a refreshing finish. Available nationwide in 330ml bottles, cases of 12 at £18.60 per case (RRP £2.50 per bottle). toastale.com

lowlander-beer.com

Founded in 2007 by musician Alex Culpin, R produces 100%-juice cider from traditional apple varieties. In 2018, the producer won Great Taste awards for all three of its sparkling bottled varieties: Ty Gwyn Medium Dry 5.8%, Medium 6.0% and Medium Sweet 5.0%.

Each are available in cases of 12 x 500ml bottles. tygwyncider.co.uk

THE BEERBLEFISH BREWING CO’s range of Heritage beers are inspired by 19th century recipes but given a modern twist with British and New World hops.

Aged for two years to develop complex flavours, the range consists of A . trade .

A , SB . trade .

A , and orter . trade .

A . Available in ml bottles. beerblefish.co.uk

Kent-based AS has this year launched a range of bottled ciders in new branding. Comprising 10 varieties (including its Great Taste award-winning Spiced Cider), the bottled range will expand to 12 varieties in 2019 to match the bagin-box range. Trade price £21+VAT per case of 12 x 500ml (RRP £3.20 each).

B RRA SA , a brewery from Puglia, is now exporting its beers to the UK market for the first time exclusively through A AR R .

Its range – classic styles with a Mediterranean twist – includes Pizzica 5.2% ABV, 33cl (trade price £1.96 +VAT), Taranta 6% ABV, 33cl (trade price £2.02 +VAT), and Beggia 7% ABV, 33cl (trade price £2.17 +VAT). birrasalento.it/en/ tenutamarmorelle.com

THE HOP SHED (formerly known as he nity Brew ouse has launched two new beers eghorn Blonde . , a blonde ale with grapefruit and passionfruit flavours, and Sultan old . , a rich well rounded golden beer with apricot and citrus flavours. ases of x ml bottles are . with a discount applied for or more cases RR . or bottles for . thehopshed.co.uk

THE GOODWOOD BREWERY combines organic hops with malted barley from Goodwood Home Farm to make the “citrusy and hoppy ucky eap A A, the light and lively St. Simon ager, and the aromatic and malty rogger ale Ale RR s . each, ml bottle . goodwood.com

duddastuncider.com

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

29

All Natural Premium Mixers

Strawberry YORKSHIRE & Pomegranate, Pink Grapefruit, Premium, TONICS Citrus, Apple & Elderï¬&#x201A;ower and Skinny Premium

www.raisthorpemanor.com www.raisthorpemanor.com sales@raisthorpemanor.co.uk

01377 288295 01377 288295

30

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

WINE

Tiers of joy Competing against low-cost supermarket offerings is a David-and-Goliath struggle, but a range of scarcer wines with tiered pricing can be a winner, says CHRIS MERCER

Chums with cheese There is no hard right or wrong with cheese pairing, but acidity in wine is generally something to cherish. Try to match strength and depth of flavour in both the wine and food, and think about how characteristics in both may complement or contrast. Start with the most delicate cheeses.

Goats’ cheese: A classic pairing would be crisp Sauvignon Blanc, but try Spanish Albariño, dry Riesling or English Bacchus for a local twist. Add honey and try a bone dry Fino Sherry.

Soft, creamy cheeses such as brie or camembert: High fat content requires wines with good acidity. Try Champagne or other sparkling wines, like Crémant de Bourgogne, traditional method UK sparkling or Italian Franciacorta.

Chardonnay with a bit of ageing on lees will give you those toasty, brioche flavours if the brie is more mature. Also try lighter reds, such as Pinot Noir, and even dry rosé.

Mature, hard cheeses: Pronounced flavours need fuller white wines, often with some oak ageing. Try Viognier, aged white Rioja or a Vin Jaune from Jura, the home of French Comté. Try more robust reds like Bordeaux blends, or fresher Malbec styles.

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

husband-and-wife team behind Delilah Fine Foods in the East Midlands – and who has worked in the wine trade since the 1990s – says he cuts the wine world into three categories: mass market wines dominated by supermarkets; classics, such as Chianti or Rioja; and good value wines from lesser known regions.

Delilah stocks “great wines from most of the classic regions to cover the bases”, says Tryner, but he tries to choose producers without the volume to service big retailers too.

Although he concedes well-known names like Rioja and New Zealand Sauvignon will sell, it’s clear his passion lies in lesser-known styles and regions, which he argues offer “more bang for your buck”.

Delilah has a Strong Italian focus across its food and wine selection, with Tryner highlighting Falanghina white wines from Campania, as well as Negroamaro reds. Greek Assyrtiko white wines also sold well in 2018, he says.

Malcolm Miller, owner of Millers Farm Shop in east Devon, takes a do-it-yourself approach, travelling over to northern France to buy wine from long-standing

Blue cheese in general: Sweet wines are a tough sell, but Sauternes, Tokaji and sweeter styles of Riesling provide a great contrast to the saltiness of a Stilton or Roquefort.

Derkien/dreamstime.com

WHETHER IT’S WAITROSE, Aldi or even Majestic Wine down the road, there are few advantages to fighting fire with fire in a £6.6bn wine retail market driven by discounting.

Yet farm shops and delis already have customers looking to buy outside of the mainstream, so opportunities exist if you can make the numbers work.

So how have smaller retailers developed their wine strategies?

A good place to begin can be the founding principles they’ve already established in the food business.

For example, Cross Lanes farm shop in County Durham has applied its organic food focus to wine, using specialist organic suppliers Vintage Roots and Leeds-based Vinceremos.

According to manager Deborah Hare this has helped give Cross Lanes an edge, even when it comes to selling mainstream styles such as Malbec from Argentina.

The organic angle also allows Cross Lanes to benefit from an emerging trend for low-sulphur wines. “No-sulphur and low-sulphur wines are some of our biggest sellers,” Hare says.

Richard Tryner, one half of the

Major retailers like Waitrose are moving in on UK wines but local sales channels are still important

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

31

WINE merchant contacts. “This is what you can do. I’m just a normal farm shop in the middle of a field,’ says Miller, who has built up a particular specialism around Bordeaux.

He buys significant quantities at a time and mainly purchases early in the year and in autumn, when French merchants tend to run promotions.

“The snag is that you’ve got to have the money [to buy upfront], storage, transport and be in the know,” he says.

He also stocks 10-12 rosé wines, plus whites, such as Pouilly-Fumé (Sauvignon Blanc) and Mâcon-Villages (Chardonnay).

An alternative approach is to play the local card and focus on British-produced wine. Trade body WineGB recently labelled 2018 the “harvest of the century” for the UK, which boasted 147 wineries in 2017 and has seen vineyard area more than double in 10 years to around 2,554 hectares.

Awards for English and Welsh wines have so far come more for sparkling than still styles. Key grapes include traditional Champagne varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, plus white wine grapes Bacchus and Seyval Blanc.

Major retailers like Waitrose are moving in, but local sales channels are still important for UK producers stretching from southern counties to Yorkshire.

Simpsons Wine Estate has plugged itself into the local Kent scene, for example. “We have hosted tastings with Press Wine Services, run by Clive Barlow MW, at The Goods Shed in Canterbury and multiple wine and local produce events at the Barham Community Shop,” said Charles Simpson, who runs the estate with his wife, Ruth.

In the end, though, all of the strategies outlined here still require spirited selling, whether via tasting events or trained staff.

London’s GOSNELLS MEAD used honey sourced entirely from hives located round the Capital for its first ‘vintage’ product. Specially brewed to a wine-like 12% abv, it was made in October 2018 and released the following month in wax-embossed 75cl bottles (RRP £25). Founder Tom Gosnell describes the 2018 Vintage as “incredibly complex and deep, with notes of blackcurrant, sloe and a hint of spice” – very different from Gosnell’s core, 5.5% abv, lightly sparkling mead, made from Spanish honey.

Cotswolds winemaker POULTON HILL ESTATE hand-harvested its first vintage in October 2012 and now produces an award-winning range of still and sparkling wines. Its crisp white Phoenix 2017 – a blend of 85% Phoenix grapes and 15% Seyval Blanc (trade £7.95 ex VAT, 75cl) – is described as pale straw in appearance, with fresh elderflower and subtle herbacious undertones on the nose and a palate “bursting with gooseberry, grass and creamy apple”. poultonhillestate.co.uk

gosnells.co.uk

Where the wonga goes on wine With a flat duty charged on still wines between 5.5% abv and 15% abv, it is often argued that spending a little more can get you a disproportionately better wine.

Analysis (below) by major supplier Bibendum-PLB following October 2018’s budget suggests the average contribution to the wine itself in a £5 bottle of wine is currenly just 30p. However, this rises to just over £2 on a £7.50 bottle. With most wine bought in UK stores costing less than £10, this is a point worth getting across to your customers.

Tiered pricing is something many retailers find useful, letting shoppers choose their point of entry. Devon retailer Malcolm Miller sells Côtes de Blaye appellation Bordeaux for around £5.99, then better known St-Emilion wines for £9.99 and St-Emilion grand cru-level wines for around £20.

“Some spend £16 and think nothing of it,” says Deborah Hare at Cross Lanes, which has a range beginning at around £9.99.

Delilah Fine Foods is licensed for on-sales and offers £7 corkage on any wine that customers would like opened on the spot, “which means you can drink a wine for £30 that would cost £50 in a restaurant”, says Tryner.

Total margin

Excise duty

VAT

£5.00

£5.39

£7.50

£10.00

£20.00

£1.08

£1.17

£2.03

£2.84

£6.85

£2.23

£2.23

£2.23

£2.23

£0.83 £.036 £0.20 £0.30

32

£0.90 £.036

£1.25 £.036 £0.20

Packaging

£1.67 £.036 £0.20

Logistics

Money for wine

£2.23 £3.33 £.036 £0.20

£0.20 £0.53

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

£1.43

£2.70

£7.03

Wine and beer cross paths in 2017 Bethnal Bubbles from “cutting edge urban winery” RENEGADE LONDON WINE. An English sparkling hopped wine, it’s a blend of Herefordshiregrown Seyval Blanc grapes that are hopped with Citra and Mosaic hops between the first fermentation and second, when it develops its fizz.

According to Renegade founder Warwick Smith, Bethnal Bubbles has the aroma of an American craft pale ale and the tart taste of a homemade cloudy lemonade. “Noone else in the world makes a wine like this,” he tells High Spirits.

Made on the Dalmeny Estate near Edinburgh, WERMOD DRY Great British Vermouth (RRP £26.99, 75cl) brings together 24 locally-grown and foraged herbs, roots and flowers, cold-infused with British wine and spirit.

The result is a “dry, complex and harmonious aperitif”, combining floral, citrusy and fresh herbal flavours with the warm bitter notes of wormwood, hyssop and yarrow.

Wermod Dry won gold at the 2018 World Vermouth Awards. great-british-vermouth.com

renegadelondonwine.com

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

Have you tried the UK’s ƭklm LZefhg Ldbg <kbli8 @hh] _hk rhn Zg] ma^ ieZg^m

www.sea-chips.co.uk

MR HOBBS - HENLEY’S FIRST HIGHLY SPIRITED GIN & MR HOBBS FRUIT FLAVOURED GIN LIQUEURS - JUST ADD BUBBLES!

Available online at mrhobbsgin.com @mrhobbsgin

@mrhobbsgin

@mrhobbsgin

“This is a hyper-local product which makes an active contribution to biodiversity – world’s away from the industrial alcohol bought in by most distillers. From mother’s ruin to saviour of the planet.”

Lucy Siegle, The Guardian and Observer

“At Gintime we don’t do grading but, if we did, Oxford Dry is a guaranteed 10/10.”

Geraldine Coates, Gintime

We cultivate, craft, create and curate the very finest spirits using sustainably grown ancient grains

CREATED IN OUR MAGNIFICENT HANDMADE STILLS SPIRITOFTOAD.COm A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

33

Perfect

FRUIT LIQUEUR

additions to any cocktail menu or home FRUIT LIQUEUR

FRUIT LIQUEUR

FRUIT LIQUEUR

drinks cabinet B L A C K B E R RY

S T R AW B E R RY

R A S P B E R RY

Available in 5cl and 50cl bottles FRUIT LIQUEUR

FRUIT LIQUEUR

FRUIT LIQUEUR

B L A C K B E R RY

S T R AW B E R RY

R A S P B E R RY

A range of naturally flavoured spirit drinks.

Raspberry Ripple, Manchester Tart, Fig Vanilla Cardamom – Gin based spirits Peanut butter, Spiced, Rumbarb – Rum based spirits

www.hoggnorton.co.uk

34

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

Please drink responsibly, visit: drinkaware.co.uk | Vol. 30%

e

michelle@shellysdrinks.com

w

www.shellysdrinks.com

MOQ – available on request @shellysdrinks

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

MIXERS & ADULT SOFT DRINKS

Puttinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the mix As the soft drinks and mixer category gets more diverse, LAUREN PHILLIPS rounds up the latest accompaniments and alternatives to premium tipples BON ACCORD D SRSXODU 6FRWWLVK VRIW GULQN GXULQJ WKH Ĺ&#x152; V DQG Ĺ&#x152; V ZKLFK ZDV UHYLYHG E\ LWV IRXQGHUĹ?V JUHDW JUHDW JUDQGGDXJKWHU .DUHQ .QRZOHV KDV FROODERUDWHG ZLWK /XFN\ /LTXRU &R WR ODXQFK D 6FRWWLVK VPDOO EDWFK KDQG FUDIWHG VDOWHG SLQN JUDSHIUXLW VRGD 7KH PL[HU LV VZHHWHQHG ZLWK IUXLW MXLFH KRQH\ DQG FRFRQXW QHFWDU DQG LV UHFRPPHQGHG VHUYHG ZLWK 6HDZROI ZKLWH UXP 553 e PO

bonaccordsoftdrinks.com

FRANKLIN & SONS KDV ODXQFKHG D GXDO Ĺ´DYRXUHG WRQLF FROOHFWLRQ VHUYHG XS LQ PO ERWWOHV 553 e HDFK 7KH IRXU Ĺ´DYRXUV DUH URVHPDU\ EODFN ROLYH SLQN JUDSHIUXLW EHUJDPRW UKXEDUE KLELVFXV DQG HOGHUĹ´RZHU FXFXPEHU

$GXOW VRIW GULQN DQG PL[HU EUDQG JEFFREYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TONIC SURGXFHV D UDQJH RI WRQLF ZDWHUV PO ERWWOHV DQG V\UXSV PO ERWWOHV

ZKLFK FDQ EH VHUYHG ERWK DV D VRIW GULQN RU PL[HG ZLWK D SUHPLXP VSLULW 7KH UDQJH FRPHV LQ IRXU YDULHWLHV RULJLQDO OLPH JDODQJDO RUDQJH \DUURZ URVHKLS HOGHUĹ´RZHU DQG QRW VR SODLQ jeffreystonic.com

Best known for its juices, /86&20%( has created a new range of tonics and mixers (see right) to accompany any craft spirit.

The range comes in nine varieties: Devon, Devon /LJKW HOGHUĹ´RZHU cucumber and grapefruit tonics, Devon soda water, hot ginger beer, Sicilian bitter lemon, and lime crush (RRP ÂŁ1.20, 20cl).

franklinandsons.co.uk

Yorkshire-based 5$,67+253( 0$125 has unveiled a range of premium tonics to complement its well-known fruit gins, vodkas and liqueurs. $YDLODEOH LQ Ć&#x201C;YH Ĺ´DYRXUV Ĺ&#x160; strawberry & pomegranate, citrus, pink grapefruit, apple & HOGHUĹ´RZHU DQG SUHPLXP Ĺ&#x160; WKH tonics are packaged in 200ml bottles (RRP ÂŁ1.50). raisthorpemanor.com

Luscombe.co.uk

)RXQGHU %HQ :DOWRQ VD\V KLV QRQ DOFRKROLF PL[HU BLOODY BENS FDQ EH DGGHG WR WRPDWR MXLFH DQG YRGND WR PDNH D FODVVLF %ORRG\ 0DU\ RU D QRQ DOFRKROLF 9LUJLQ 0DU\ )HDWXULQJ RYHU GLIIHUHQW LQJUHGLHQWV WR JLYH D JUHDWHU GHSWK RI Ĺ´DYRXU WKH PL[HU PDNHV XS WR VHUYLQJV 7UDGH SULFH e 553 e PO ERWWOH bloodybens.com

Cocktail-mix producer 7,33/(6:257+ has expanded its range with a new varietyt. Garden Collins Cocktail Mixer (RRP ÂŁ6.99, 500ml) is said to be a â&#x20AC;&#x153;refreshing blend of ingredients found in an English gardenâ&#x20AC;? made up of cucumber, rose, mint, basil and botanicals. It can be paired with gin and garnished with a slice of cucumber and PDNHV XS Ć&#x201C;YH VHUYLQJV tipplesworth.com

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

35

MIXERS & ADULT SOFT DRINKS

Whatever happened to G&T? Random botanical mixers, weird fruit & veg garnishes... what about the essential â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bitter and citrusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; balance given by a traditional tonic? PAUL BENDIT of Folkingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ponders the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;perfect serveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

It was all so simple once. The gin was gin and the tonic tonic. Then came the craft spirit boom and on the back of that a couple of very clever guys who... well, you know the rest of the story and it involves the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;feverâ&#x20AC;?.

How fabulous that, in 10 years, an internationally recognised staple drink has been transformed.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the incredible diversity of gins, often with a wonderful backstory about their ingredients: some from exotic locations, some foraged (like Slake Gin in Sussex), some made by vineyards from their own grape must (such as Seven Sisters, also in Sussex) and some from brewersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; grain (like Copper House gin).

Then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the packaging.

How inspired is the Botanist, with its botanicals embossed on the bottle, or the stunning gold leaf designs of Jarrolds or Silent Pool? And whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have thought of wrapping their gin bottle in brown paper, like those clever folk from Bathtub Gin? $QG Ć&#x201C;QDOO\ WKHUH DUH WKH WRQLF waters, once there to play servant to their master, but now a core part of that â&#x20AC;&#x153;gin & tonic experienceâ&#x20AC;?.

As if a great tasting tonic, with its combination of bitter, sweet and sharpness wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough, new ranges RI Ĺ´DYRXUHG WRQLFV DUH WDNLQJ WKDW experience into the unknown.

But is it all getting bit too much?

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throw the cloak of common sense over this subject and start with the so called â&#x20AC;&#x153;perfect serveâ&#x20AC;?,

where Gin A is said to pair perfectly with Tonic B. This drives a coach and horses through the fact that we HDFK KDYH RXU RZQ XQLTXH VHQVRU\ mechanisms. What is perfect to one person may not be to another.

Then we move onto the logic.

Try making a chocolate cake. Then make another one with twice as much chocolate. It will taste completely different. Now pour a G&T with a single shot of gin and 150ml of tonic

DQG DQRWKHU ZLWK D GRXEOH ZLWK the same amount of tonic (1:3). The perfect single serve will undoubtedly not be the perfect double serve. Logic suggests the double shot pairs better with a different tonic â&#x20AC;&#x201C; perhaps a OLJKWHU Ĺ´DYRXUHG PL[HU WKDW EDODQFHV out the thump of tastes from the double gin.

Then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the garnish. Long gone is the simple ice â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n slice (of lemon). Garnishes now range from

7URSLFDO SLQN JUDSHIUXLW JXDYD LV WKH ODWHVW Ĺ´DYRXU from EQUINOX KOMBUCHA. The new drink blends the two fruits with a kombucha mix of organic green chun-mee tea, raw cane sugar and spring water. Low in sugar, 100% organic and vegan friendly, the drink is said to be crisp, colourful and leaves the consumer feeling refreshed. equinoxkombucha.com

36

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

other fruits (eg grapefruit) to herbs (eg rosemary), vegetables (eg cucumber) and even black pepper DQG HGLEOH Ĺ´RZHUV %HFDXVH DOFRKRO HIĆ&#x201C;FLHQWO\ H[WUDFWV DQG HQKDQFHV Ĺ´DYRXU WKH JDUQLVK KDV D KXJH LPSDFW RQ WKH Ć&#x201C;QDO WDVWH DGGLQJ WR the complexity but also potentially the confusion around that perfect serve.

It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t end there. The fastest growth in the sector is in Ĺ´DYRXUHG DQG FRORXUHG JLQV ZKLFK traditionalists might say are not gins at all. Some have sugar added too, PDNLQJ WKHP DNLQ WR OLTXHXUV 3LQN gin is leading the charge â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at least in Ĺ&#x160; SURYLGLQJ D UHQDLVVDQFH IRU Gordonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

The naming of gins after their locality shows no signs of abating.

What started with Edinburgh Gin, Brighton Gin and Liverpool Gin now runs to hundreds of towns and counties. But how do these get VXIĆ&#x201C;FLHQW VFDOH ZKHQ WKHLU EUDQGLQJ is so constrained to the local area?

Why might Durham Gin appeal in Truro, when there are plenty of local Cornish options?

Then there is the tonic water industry, looking to see where it plays a part in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;ginaissenceâ&#x20AC;?. The ODXQFK RI VHYHUDO Ĺ´DYRXUHG WRQLF ranges is most striking. So called

So called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;full fatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;lightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tonics are being dwarfed by flavoured options that bear more relation to soft drinks than tonic water

FOLKINGTONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S is launching a 100% pure pineapple juice as well as two new tonic water Ĺ´DYRXUV (DUO *UH\ DQG (QJOLVK Garden. The Earl Grey infuses Calabrian bergamot fruit and black tea for a tonic that is ideal with less complex gins, while English Garden is an infusion of rosemary, mint and cucumber. Available in 150ml retail cans and 8-can fridgepacks from Cotswold Fayre, Hider and Cress Co. folkingtons.com

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;full fatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;lightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tonic waters, while still core to any range, are QRZ EHLQJ GZDUIHG E\ Ĺ´DYRXUHG options bearing more relation to soft drinks than tonic water.

So if the tonic is servant to the master gin, how does adding even more blends of random ingredients â&#x20AC;&#x201C; hibiscus, coriander, pomegranate â&#x20AC;&#x201C; do the traditional job: providing an essential bitter and citrus to bring out the characteristics of the gin? By piling botanicals upon botanicals, are we now at risk of serving pig on pork?

REMEDY KOMBUCHA is Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s No.1 Kombucha brand and launched to the UK last year. Gut-loving, free from sugar and full of live cultures, the Kombucha drink is pitched as a healthy alternative to a soft drink. Available in seven varieties: raspberry lemonade, ginger lemon, cherry plum, apple crisp, original, ginger berry and lemon, lime & mint.

RRP ÂŁ3, 330ml bottle.

POPABALL produces â&#x20AC;&#x153;drink additionsâ&#x20AC;? including a shimmer designed to pimp up bottles of prosecco or gin, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;bursting bubblesâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fruit MXLFH Ć&#x201C;OOHG EXEEOHV WKDW FDQ EH DGGHG WR D * 7 Its latest launch is a Gingle Globe, a snow globe VKDSHG ERWWOH Ć&#x201C;OOHG ZLWK HOGHUĹ´RZHU JLQ OLTXHXU DQG FW JROG Ĺ&#x152;VQRZĹ? Ĺ´DNHV 553 e

remedykombucha.com.au

popaball.co.uk

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

CLIVE’S WINES Handmade Fruit Wines

NEW Av ailable in 5 0 g 1 5 0 g an d 5 0 0 g tin s

Rhubarb + Sparkling = Rhubling Traditional Method Sparkling 12.5% 75cl Suitable for Vegetarians Does not contain sulphites, finnings, colourings or preservatives

C o nt a c t C la r e o n 0 7 9 7 3 2 1 5 4 0 7 c la r e @ r i v e r s i d e li fe s t y le .co .u k w w w.B o n i lla C r i s p s U K .c o.u k

Riverside

ARTISAN FOOD

Clive’s Wines produces natural fruit wines of distinction all produced by hand from the finest ingredients.

w w w. c l i v e s w i n e s . c o . u k Produce of Staffordshire ‘The Creative County’

Rum that's fermented, distilled, bottled and labelled by hand in Cornwall

EPoS for Farm Shops and Delicatessens.

Our solution links to either Avery Berkel or Bizerba weigh scales.

01159 677439

www.openretailsolutions.co.uk A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

www.genuinebritishrum.com

01288 321 921 HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

37

SHOP FLOOR SECRETS

Lessons from Ludlow Newly rebranded Ludlow Farm has upsized its farm shop drinks section this year and is seeing growth in virtually every category. MD Jon Edwards shares his musings on booze with MICK WHITWORTH. ALIVE AND KICKING â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I go round food shows, not many new products jump out at me.

But in alcohol thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still some freshness. Things like Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Moonshine. I love WKH SDFNDJLQJ DQG LW Ĺ´LHV RXW Why? Because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unusual. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve nearly doubled our â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;off licenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; section and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of our best performing departments. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always something happening there.â&#x20AC;?

FIFTY-TWO LOCAL BREWS â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in a nice position where we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to look beyond â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;localâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for beer. We have 52 types and I could probably add another 50% and still be local. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do bring in new suppliers, because newness gives us our incremental growth. But Ludlow Gold from Ludlow Brewing Co has probably always been our fastest selling beer.â&#x20AC;?

BOX SETS ARE A GIFT â&#x20AC;&#x153;A big portion of our growth is coming from multipacks and gift packs, like a 20cl pack of four vodkas or a Penderyn whisky & glass set. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our third fastest-selling beer by value is a six-bottle gift box of Hobsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beers.

If you only sell single bottles youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re missing a trick.â&#x20AC;?

BARREL OF LAUGHS â&#x20AC;&#x153;Party kegs were in our Top 10 products across the whole department last year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not massive in terms of volume, but they sell RXW DW DERXW e VR LWĹ?VbHDV\ money. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some of the bottled beers are selling 3,500 units but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather have a few of those big hitters.â&#x20AC;?

MONIKERS MATTER â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our second fastest selling wine is Beef Steak Club Malbec. Why? Because we stick it near the meat counter.

I know it sounds stupid, but people will buy it with their meat just because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Beef Steakâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Most people arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t connoisseurs and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure if there was a wine called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Malbec Blue Cheeseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; it would sell at the cheese counter.â&#x20AC;?

SOME LIKE IT HOT â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have merchandising â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hot spotsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; where we feature anything new and give some commentary about it. It FUHDWHV D ELW RI SD]D]] â&#x20AC;&#x153;People do shop the gondola ends â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but they also get really frustrated if a wine they like is in one place one week and a different place next time. So we generally try to keep it where it should be.â&#x20AC;?

GINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S STILL THE THING â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen no sign of gin fading. We have 30 lines, and apart from a few American and Continental ones we brought in for our last tasting evening theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all local to us. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The two fastest sellers?

Ludlow Gin and Hereford Gin. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in a name, eh? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Hereford is our introductory gin, at around ÂŁ20, and I think our most expensive is an oak-smoked gin at ÂŁ60. But the vast majority are ÂŁ32-ÂŁ39.â&#x20AC;?

BABY STEPS â&#x20AC;&#x153;I tell all small gin suppliers, if you only have a 70cl bottle itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be a slow build. Introduce some smaller bottles at an accessible price â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ÂŁ10-12 PD\EH Ĺ&#x160;bDQG SHRSOH ZLOO JLYH it a punt. Once they know how good it is theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have PRUH FRQĆ&#x201C;GHQFH WR VSHQG ÂŁ40. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Small bottles always, always work â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they lead to bigger sales in future.â&#x20AC;?

WHISKY-A-NO-NO? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done one whisky tasting, and it was full â&#x20AC;&#x201C; about 80 people â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but that never translated into a big lift in sales. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most whiskies arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;localâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and we had one chap on the evening saying, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You can get them cheaper online.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thought, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Really? Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to a tasting, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve brought an expert in to talk to you, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing that?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ĺ?)RU D ZLQH RU Ć&#x201C;]] HYHQLQJ weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get 60-70 people along, and the majority will come back and buy. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested in wine, and most of ours arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t available online. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the same with in-store tastings. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a direct correlation between each tasting and a massive spike in sales for a week to 10 days afterwards.â&#x20AC;?

TIERED PRICING PAYS â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never sell a ÂŁ5 wine, but tiered pricing works very well. Our entry point is around ÂŁ7, mid point ÂŁ10-13 and then we have something that stretches people a bit more at ÂŁ20-plus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Give people good wine at a good price and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be willing to try something better for special occasions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We get our core range from Telford Wines. They have their own wine shop ZLWK D VLPLODU FXVWRPHU SURĆ&#x201C;OH to us, and they only sell to independents. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then we use a guy called Mark Savage, a Master of Wine whose ethos is very similar to our farm shop: he works with small, independent growers who have a story behind them.â&#x20AC;?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure a wine called Malbec Blue Cheese would sell at the cheese counter - most people arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t connoisseurs 38

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

The UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading organic distillery.

www.damhile.co.uk

A SUPPLEMENT TO FINE FOOD DIGEST

BEST OF ORGANIC MARKET AWARDS

BEST ORGANIC SPIRIT & BEST ORGANIC ALCOHOL Botanical Gin

HIGH SPIRITS 2018-19

39

Doesn’t taste like * coffee *it is coffee.

Its time to forget everything you know about coffee liqueur. Conker Cold Brew uses Grade 1 forest-grown Speciality coffees from Brazil and Ethiopia to capture the true taste of espresso. No flavourings, additives or thickeners. Simply the best coffees we could lay our hands on.

“ Fantastically true in aroma of freshly ground coffee with a great earthy quality and a rich savouriness” - Great Taste awards 2018 Judge’s notes

conkerspirit.co.uk Please adore Conker® responsibly