Dyfi Navigation Gin Delightful

Corris Craft Centre, Corris Machynlleth Wales SY20 9RF United Kingdom

Dyfi Navigation Gin Delightful

About Dyfi Distillery

After two years of intensive research and experimentation, the Cameron brothers opened Dyfi Distillery in March 2016.

Pete Cameron is a hill farmer, forager, and beekeeper. He has lived and worked in the Dyfi region for over 30 years.

Danny Cameron is a highly experienced wine and spirits professional, and a regular judge at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards.

Dyfi Navigation Gin Delightful

The basis of our work is a sustainable blend of nature, science and family. For us, sustainability not only means respecting our fragile environment (which here in Dyfi is additionally protected by UNESCO), but also creating world-class gins so our small family business contributes to our local rural economy.

Between 2016 and early 2019, we distilled in very small batches using two small 100-litre stills. After looking at options from all over the world, our preference lay with a specialist still maker in Colorado. We further customized the stills after shipping, so we could challenge one or two conventions, whilst respecting the best of tradition.

The result was what one commentator called precision-distilling. We developed and adapted techniques which allowed for maximum control over maceration temperatures, variable copper contact for distillation and much more besides.

Dyfi Navigation Gin Delightful

In 2017, Pollination Gin won the Best British Gin trophy at the Great British Food awards, and Hibernation Gin was awarded Best New Gin by The Independent. In 2018, our Dyfi Original again took the Best British Gin trophy, making us the only distillery to win this for a second time.

You might have also come across us in many newspaper and magazine articles, and appearances on television and radio.

Dyfi Navigation Gin Delightful

Early in 2018, we spent time with another family firm: in this case specialist small still-makers in Germany’s Black Forest. We wanted to introduce a new still which combined the craft of traditional manufacture, but adapted to all we had learned about producing foraged-led distillates.

After a year of design and build, we installed this bespoke ‘total control system’ still.

Dyfi (or Dovey) – Source of Our Gins

A Unique Distillery in the UNESCO World Biosphere of Dyfi

Pronouced “Dovey”, The UNESCO World Biosphere of Dyfi was always going to be our preferred location for foraging and distilling. Pete moved here 35 years ago to study biology and botany, and has since farmed, foraged and kept bees here.

A Secluded & Remote Valley Matrix

It’s home to some of the most diverse flora, cleanest water, darkest skies and lowest population in Europe. Add a fascinating community of people and it’s perhaps no surprise that UNESCO have recognised Dyfi as a World Biosphere Reserve. This is the only Biosphere in Wales.

Influenced by Nature

It’s this very place that originally inspired us to create artisan gin, influenced by what nature provides each season, truly reflecting a sensory journey through this remarkable place.

Discouver Wales’ UNESCO Biosphere

Aberystwyth and the wider Dyfi Valley

The UNESCO Dyfi Biosphere inspires people and organisations to work together in creating sustainable futures we can all be proud of. It connects people with nature and cultural heritage while strengthening the local economy.

The landscapes in this part of Mid Wales run from high peat moorland, through wide estuary to sand dunes and beaches, taking in the wildlife of broadleaved woodland, coniferous forest, farmland, saltmarsh and large lowland peat bog making it a haven for wildlife.

Otters swim in the rivers, ospreys come and nest, red kites are easy to spot and dolphin pods regularly visit the beaches; there are nature reserves perfect for bird watching including the Dyfi Wildlife Centre and an RSPB reserve.

Dyfi Original Gin

Dyfi Navigation Gin Delightful The original.

Best Gin, Great British Food Awards 2018
Gold Medal & Best Welsh Classic Gin, World Gin Awards 2022
Gold Medal & Best Welsh Dry Gin, World Gin Awards 2021
Gold Medal & Best Welsh Dry Gin, World Gin Awards 2020

Dyfi Original was the first gin we produced at the Dyfi Distillery. It remains a firm favourite at the distillery cellar door and with the best local hostelries.

We produce this gin using our meticulous precision-distilling approach, with the aim of making a classic London Dry Gin, with our own local twist, in very small batches. Bottled at 45% Volume, without chill-filtration, each bottle is vintage-dated with the distilling season, batch-numbered and signed.

Locally foraged botanicals including bog myrtle (sweet gale) and Scot’s pine tips, combined with the finest juniper, coriander and organic unwaxed lemon peel to produce a gin with is rich and bold, yet very smooth.

Dyfi Original Gin is a great base for a classic martini, or even straight, but will probably be most enjoyed in a classic G&T, with an optional garnish of twisted lime peel and a sprig of basil.

Dyfi Original Gin / 50cl / 45% Vol

Pollination Gin

Dyfi Navigation Gin Delightful

Pollination Gin

Best Gin, Great British Food Awards 2017
“A real gem for any gin fanatic.” Daily Telegraph, December 2019
Gold Medal & Best Welsh Contemporary Gin, World Gin Awards 2022
Gold Medal & Best Welsh Contemporary Gin, World Gin Awards 2021
Gold Medal, World Gin Awards 2020

Our passion is to produce an exceptional gin of world-class quality, which could come from nowhere else. Dyfi is recognised by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve and provides us with an enviable and unique flora spectrum to draw upon, as well as a meticulous selection of the finest classic gin botanicals.

Pollination gin is produced in small batches at our Welsh gin distillery using the highest London Dry standards. Our foraged botanicals come from within the Biosphere reserve: from the Snowdonia foothills, through the Dyfi Forest, and down to the estuary marshlands, including wild flowers, aromatic leaves, fruits and conifer tips. It is a true Dovey Native Botanical Gin.

Production is necessarily very limited. Each bottle is hand signed and batch-numbered.

45% alcohol by volume, non-chill filtered.

Pollination Gin / 50cl / 45% Vol

Hibernation Gin

Dyfi Navigation Gin Delightful

Best New Gin The Independent, April 2017
Best Buy Gin under £50 i News, June 2018

The botanicals we forage for Hibernation Gin are influenced by the wild fruit harvest. They include wild crab apples, blackberries, and bilberries.

We combine these with carefully selected classic, and other locally-foraged botanicals, and precision-distil, before resting in a very rare White Port cask.

This is the world’s first gin to be aged in a fully-seasoned White Port barrel, and we are indebted to our friends at Niepoort Vinhos for providing this to us.

Each bottle is hand signed and lot-numbered, recognising extremely limited production.

Bottled at 45% volume, without chill-filtration.

Hibernation Gin is an exquisite sipping gin, optionally chilled, or as a martini, and also makes a delicious negroni. Our most pleasant discovery is what an excellent Gin & Tonic it makes, but given that White Port & Tonic is such a fine combination, perhaps that’s no surprise.

Hibernation Gin / 50cl / 45% Vol

Navigation Gin

Dyfi Navigation Gin Delightful

Gold Medal, The World Gin Masters 2020
Gold Medal & Best Welsh Matured Gin, World Gin Awards 2021

“One of the best, if not THE best gin I’ve ever tasted.”
Alan Titchmarsh, ITV, February 2021

Bottling at 57% alcohol by volume (abv) presented us with an opportunity to do something completely different from our other gins.

Our Navy Strength Welsh Gin is an alliance between seafaring tradition and maritime botany, brought together through the medium of umami.

We combine hand-foraged coastal botanicals with exotic overseas spices, before distilling with a combination of vapour infusion and pot immersion.

The distillate of umami-rich flavours and bracing freshness is then rested in an ancient canteiro Madeira barrel prior to release. Older Madeira barrels develop a lactone called sotolon which contributes an umami character to some of the most venerable Madeira wines. In our case, it binds together key botanical notes with the ageing vessel to create a completely unique gin.

We are indebted to our old friend Ricardo Diogo de Freitas from the remarkable Madeira house of Vinhos Barbeito for sharing an ancient barrel which is not only sensational in its flavour profile, but also a family heirloom.

57% alcohol by volume, non-chill filtered.

Navigation Gin / 50cl / 57% Vol

Visit Our Welsh Gin Distillery

Open March to November

Every Day
10am – 5pm

* No need to book, no entrance fees *

We don’t offer formal distillery tours, but rather welcome all visitors equally. If you would like to chat to the family, taste what we do, or just browse around the artistic story boards and see through the large glass screen between our cellar door shop and the distillery we’d love to see you.

Accompanied children and dogs are welcome too.

Dyfi Navigation Gin Delightful

Directions

If travelling by car, please use the free car park signposted to King Arthur’s Labyrinth and Corris Craft Centre. By bus, there are services from Machynlleth and Dolgellau (alight at Corris Craft Centre). There is disabled access.

We are co-located with the Corris Craft Centre, King Arthur’s Labyrinth and Corris Mine Explorers. Please visit https://caverns.wales to see what else you can discover here.

NB: Don’t follow Sat Nav to our postcode – it will take you to the wrong place.

We look forward to welcoming you, Pete and Danny Cameron.