Cotswolds Dry Gin lovingly crafting delicious

Cotswolds Distillery Visitor Centre Phillip’s Field, Whichford Road, Stourton, Shipston-on-Stour CV36 5EX, Verenigd Koninkrijk

A tale of passion

Nestled amongst the rolling hills of the Cotswolds countryside, the Cotswolds Distillery was born from a dream to produce delicious spirits in one of the most beautiful regions in the world.

https://www.cotswoldsdistillery.com/pages/virtual-tour

From hedgefunds to HEDGEROWS

It all started back in 2014, when our founder Dan, a native New Yorker and whisky connoisseur, had moved to the Cotswolds after working in finance in London for many years. Seeking to leave behind that world and spend more time in the picturesque countryside of the Cotswolds with his family, it eventually dawned on him that he could combine his love of whisky with his desire to start a new business. A dedicated whisky fan, Dan saw the fields of golden barley around his house in the Cotswolds and had a brainwave ‘I suddenly thought, there’s barley all over the Cotswolds and nobody’s distilling it, let’s be the first!’

Having found a derelict site near his house, he set about building a distillery and a team to run it, and the doors of the Cotswolds Distillery opened in July 2014.

Cotswolds Dry Gin lovingly crafting delicious

The making of our GIN

Although Dan’s dream was always to make whisky, he also wanted to create a full range of delicious spirits including gins and liqueurs. Our first project was the gin, on which we spent two months researching botanical recipes. We distilled 150 individual botanical spirits in a whole range of different flavours and set about experimenting with different combinations. Our distillers created over 60 individual gin recipes which we whittled down to one finalist, and that became our Cotswolds Dry Gin. It may have started as something of a side-project, but it’s now at the heart of what we do and we’re very proud of what we’ve created.

Cotswolds Dry Gin lovingly crafting delicious

Traditionally crafted gin with an innovative twist

Inspired by the natural beauty of the Cotswolds and produced with the innovative skills of our distilling team, our award-winning Cotswolds Dry Gin is created with maximum flavour firmly at the top of our wish list.

juniper berries

Cotswolds Dry Gin lovingly crafting delicious

GIN CRAFTING

Traditionally crafted gin with an innovative twist

01 STARTING WITH A BASE

02 DISTILLATION

03 RESTING AND REDUCING

01STARTING WITH A BASE
To make our Cotswolds Dry Gin, we begin with a base alcohol made from wheat. This ‘neutral grain spirit’ is at 96% ABV and is completely flavourless.
It is the blank canvas that we will add flavour to through our recipe of botanicals.We place the neutral spirit and some water into our 500-litre copper pot still, Dolly, made by Arnold Holstein in Germany. It is a 500-litre pot still, but we only fill it ¾ full to make sure the vapours get plenty of contact with the copper during distillation.NEXT STEP
02DISTILLATION
We then add the base botanicals and leave these to macerate for 15 hours overnight. In the morning, we add the rest of the botanicals to the still. We use about ten times the average weight of botanicals and it’s the quantity of essential oils and botanical extract from them that gives our gin its characteristic richness.
Then we begin distillation, slowly boiling the contents of the still to drive off the vapours containing all the alcohol and the flavours. The first liquid to appear is called the ‘heads’ of the run – it is quite harsh and astringent, and is discarded.
The middle or ‘heart’ of the run is the only gin we will use, and we run that off the still very slowly. The heart cut is relatively small – we’re just selecting the finest part of the run and avoiding any impurities. It means we only make a very small number of bottles from each run of the still, but the quality is fantastic.
NEXT STEP
03RESTING AND REDUCINGThe hearts, which are at 83% ABV, are then rested for 5 days to allow the various flavours to come together and settle in – nothing is rushed. All we then do is add filtered water to reduce the strength to 46% and the gin is then bottled here at the distillery.
This is known as ‘single-shot distillation’ and it means we don’t add any more neutral grain spirit to the distilled batch to stretch out the gin and increase the number of bottles made from each run. Single-shot distillation is certainly a less efficient way of making gin, but we think it ensures the best possible flavour and quality.
We also don’t believe in chill-filtering our gin; this process removes oils and esters to make sure the gin stays crystal clear. We decided to leave the gin unfiltered to guarantee a rich and robust mouthfeel.

Cotswolds Dry Gin lovingly crafting delicious

Inspired by our LANDSCAPE

The Cotswolds is hugely important to us; in fact, it defines every aspect of our being. We feel extremely lucky to live in one of England’s most charming and beloved regions, full of character, romance and history.

We try, where possible, to emphasise the rich agricultural bounty of the Cotswolds, such as the barley in our whisky which is grown nearby on the Blenheim estate. The principle things that grow in the Cotswolds are fruits and grains, and these are the building blocks of our gin and whisky flavour profiles.

Cotswolds Dry Gin lovingly crafting delicious

SUPPORTING Caring for the Cotswolds

We care for the Cotswolds and strive to support it as much as possible by raising money for and awareness of Caring for the Cotswolds.

Managed by the Cotswolds National Landscape, this conservation scheme is a way for businesses and people to give back to ensure the environment is taken care of.

By protecting our heritage and landscape, conserving habitats and species and improving education, the money raised through Caring for the Cotswolds will allow us all to enjoy this beautiful area we call home for years to come.

GIN BLENDING MASTERCLASS

Regular price€119,95/per person

See booking calendar for dates

3 hours

Cotswolds Distillery, Stourton

2020, 2021 and 2022 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award Winner

2021 VisitEngland ‘Best Told Story’

If you’re looking to discover how we make our award-winning Cotswolds Dry Gin, as well as the chance to create your very own gin, then our Gin Blending Masterclass is an experience you won’t want to miss.

The class begins with a welcome Cotswolds Cloudy G&T on arrival, whilst your host will talk you through the history of gin and explain how this juniper flavoured spirit is made. You’ll then be taken on a tour of the distillery and shown around our research and development lab, where you’ll be getting up close and personal to our Holstein still, Valerie, whilst learning about the process of single pot distillation and how our Cotswolds Dry Gin was developed.

Cotswolds Dry Gin lovingly crafting delicious

Then the real fun begins… Before blending your gin, you will nose and taste a variety of botanicals and distillates, ranging from fruity to spicy botanicals. You can mix the distillates as you wish, so you can be sure the final product will be your very own, personalised gin! Once you’ve mastered your recipe, your host will use their expert knowledge to help you create a unique perfect serve which you can sip on afterwards.

Cotswolds Dry Gin lovingly crafting delicious

Before the evening draws to a close, you’ll learn how to make a Martini cocktail using your bespoke gin, and the rest will be bottled up to take away with you in a presentation box. We will also include a 20cl bottle of our Cotswolds Dry Gin so you can enjoy a Cloudy G&T at home. Our shop will be open afterwards if you’d like to explore the rest of our range of spirits.

Cotswolds Dry Gin lovingly crafting delicious

Please note, a soft drink option will be made available for those not drinking. Over 18s only.

ABV: 46%

If you have any queries about accessibility, please give our tours team a call on 01608 238 533.

If you would like to book a private masterclass for 10 people, please get in touch with Millie at asmith@cotswoldsdistillery.com to arrange a suitable date and time.

Delicious food in beautiful surroundings

Join us for a freshly brewed coffee, a leisurely lunch or an afternoon tipple at our Still House Café. As the name suggests, our relaxed and welcoming café is located next to our still house and offers visitors a chance to see our distillers at work.

We also have outdoor seating available where guests can dine al fresco on our terrace during the warmer months.

As with our spirits, we take great pride in offering food which focuses on quality and flavour. Our menu is carefully crafted using locally sourced ingredients, including coffee from nearby Monsoon Estates and rare breed, hand reared meat from Paddock Farm.

Phillip’s Field, Whichford Road, Stourton, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire CV36 5EX

OPENING TIMES

Monday – Sunday: 10am – 5pm

Tel: 01608 611 543

Cafe is open till 5pm but please beware food service finishes at 3.30pm.

COTSWOLDS DRY GIN

46% ABV

Our award-winning Cotswolds Dry Gin is a delectable blend of nine carefully-considered botanicals, including local lavender from the Cotswolds and freshly peeled pink grapefruit and lime zest.

Due to the unusually high volume of botanicals we use, our gin causes a beautiful pearlescent cloud to appear when ice or tonic is added. A juniper-led gin with fresh citrusy notes and a hint of lavender.

Magnum and double magnum bottles available to purchase.