Forest Distillery / The Cat & Fiddle Macclesfield Forest Cheshire SK11 0AR, UK
Earl Grey Forest Gin Productive Bond family
Earl Grey Forest Gin Productive Bond family
From our kitchen table, to the World’s best bars
Our story began in 2014 when Lindsay & Karl Bond began home distilling tiny batches of spirits from the kitchen table in our home next to Macclesfield Forest.
These initial distillations were purely for our own enjoyment, so we threw in handfuls of berries, mosses and ferns which our 6 year old daughter Harriet had foraged from the forest and surrounding hills. Slowly but surely, word spread about our gin, and we decided to decant the liquid into porcelain bottles to see if anybody would be interested in tasting it?
We are very proud to say that things have rapidly moved on. The Forest Distillery has now relocated to join our sister Whisky distillery at the iconic Cat & Fiddle in the Peak District National Park. Our gin is recognised as one of the worlds finest spirits having won an unprecedented two separate double-gold medals at the San Francisco Spirit Awards. Our products are sold in the finest bars, restaurants, hotels and lounges around the world.
We are still a tiny, independent distillery, and between 5 of us here, we continue to produce our products in the same ways that we did at home, using pestle & mortars and tiny 25 litre stills. We forage for our ingredients regularly in the Forest and we always do our very best to ensure that these fresh, natural flavours come through to your glass.
Earl Grey Forest Gin Productive Bond family
Explore Forest Distillery
Peek into Forest Distillery’s online and on-site store and purchase some one-of-a-kind goodies and keepsakes, whether you’re gifting yourself or a special someone. Or you could always join us for a tour of our distillery.
The Forest Distillery Bottle
The finest spirits deserve a beautiful bottle
In a desire to try to source our ingredients and materials from within the local area, the natural vessel to hold our spirits is Staffordshire Porcelain, made in the heart of the Potteries.Our bespoke bottles are made for us using traditional methods, and the final bottle is fully vitrified, meaning they are fired to a temperature which ensures the porcelain will not absorb any moisture, flavour, odour or stains. Our Forest Whisky bottle is glazed in real gold to showcase the colour of the liquid inside.
Earl Grey Forest Gin Productive Bond family
The Forest Gin Artwork is a one of a kind commission by the respected Paper cut artist Suzy Taylor, whilst our Forest Whisky artwork is beautifully cut by Georgia Low.
Each artwork is cut from a single piece of paper using a scalpel and a magnifying glass in a painstaking process.
The artwork is applied by hand to each bottle. The final piece is a practical, yet beautiful, porcelain decanter, which we hope that you will re-use and treasure for years to come.
We turn used bottles in to candles
Bring your ceramic bottle back to us, and we will re-use it to create our gorgeous-smelling soy candles.
Available to purchase from our shop – online or in-person at The Forest Distillery Shop.
Earl Grey Forest Gin Productive Bond family
Company History
1813
The Cat & Fiddle is born
In 1813 a local Silk Merchant called John Ryle purchased a plot of land next to a brand new turnpike road. Upon this plot, he built a beautiful, warm, cosy haven where weary travellers could enjoy a drink and a bite to eat. The weather at this location was often inclement, and Mr Ryle’s Inn soon became a necessary stop when travelling between the towns of Macclesfield and Buxton. He named his Inn, The Cat & Fiddle.
1900’s
The Inn thrives
Over the years, the Inn has played a part in many stories. Some personal, some more of international importance (Charles Rolls regularly used it as stop-off whilst testing cars for his fledgling business with a Mr Royce).
1931
The Robinsons
The Robinsons family purchase the Cat & Fiddle. A much loved Inn that remains in their ownership.
Late 1990s
The Inn struggles to survive
Over the last few decades, like many other pubs, the Inn struggled to survive as a business. Several factors are to blame, but it’s remote, yet beautiful location certainly didn’t help to encourage drinkers to visit and spend time.
Christmas 2014
The Inn closes its doors
The Cat & Fiddle closed its doors on Chrismas Eve for the last time as a pub. The Robinson family worked hard to find the right partner, with the right business plan, who could take The Cat & Fiddle into a sustainable and successful future – it was clear that The Cat & Fiddle needed to operate as more than a pub.
2015
Forest Gin is born
Meanwhile, as the Inn closed, Forest Gin was just starting. A local family began a small business, selling gin which they distilled in their kitchen, using botanicals from the forest below The Cat & Fiddle. They called the product Forest Gin.
May 2019
The Forest Distillery needs more room
The Forest Distillery grew fast and was in urgent need of a space to put barrels of freshly distilled spirit to “sleep” for a few years until it was ready to be enjoyed as English Single Malt Whisky. The Cat & Fiddle just happens to have an extensive network of cellars at 1600 feet above sea level with the most perfect conditions for whisky to mature…coincidence or fate?
Earl Grey Forest Gin Productive Bond family
November 2019
The Forest moves into The Cat & Fiddle
This iconic pub needed a major transformation to secure its future, including a new environmentally friendly sewage treatment plant and lots of other major refurbishment works, to breathe life in to this legendary hidden gem. In November 2019, we ran a Crowd funder which raised over £55,000 to assist us and Robinsons Brewery to attempt to re-open the Cat & Fiddle as Britains highest altitude distillery.
Today
Renovations are complete!
The Cat & Fiddle has finally been restored to its former glory and is now the home of our award winning Forest Distillery. We hold regular tours around the distillery. Our shop has been opened where you can browse our fantastic range of distillery products along with a large variety of locally sourced goods.
See What We’re Up To
Peek into Forest Distillery’s online and on-site store and purchase some one-of-a-kind goodies and keepsakes, whether you’re gifting yourself or a special someone. Or you could always join us for a tour of our distillery.
Forest Distillery London Gin 70cl Porcelain Bottle
- Double Gold Winner of the San Francisco World spirits Awards
- Forest Gin selected as one of the World’s Fifty Best Gins
£55.00
Earl Grey Forest Gin Productive Bond family
Multiple Award Winning Forest London Dry Gin
Forest Distillery London Dry Gin – The only gin to win two separate double-gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirit Awards in the same year. Selected as one of the Worlds Best 50 Gins.
Our Award winning Forest London Gin is distilled by our family in the heart of the Macclesfield Forest. Made in batches of 85 bottles at a time each bottle containing only the finest botanicals and water from our distillery spring. Each bottle contains these key elements:
SOURCED
- Organic Juniper Berries
- Organic Coriander Seeds
- Superior quality Vanilla pods, Liquorice root, Angelica and others
FORAGED
- Wild Bilberries, Raspberries & Blackberries
- Peak District Moss & Ferns
- A sprinkling of wild flowers, spruce & pine
WATER
- The softest Forest Spring Water
- From our distillery spring 1,200 ft above sea level
- An ancient spring in the Peak District
- Blended to 42% abv
These ingredients are ground by hand using a pestle & mortar, before being distilled by us here in Cheshire. The alcohol vapour and the flavoursome oils from the botanicals reach our copper condenser, where they are immediately cooled. This fragrant spirit is then blended with our spring water to create unfiltered London Dry Gin of the very highest quality.
Nose: Fresh, green, forest pines
Palette: Initial hit of juniper, with fresh ferns and sweet berries
Finish: Long, deep and earthy from the Peak District moss.
Forest Distillery Earl Grey Forest Gin 70cl Porcelain Bottle
£55.00
Earl Grey Forest Gin Productive Bond family
Refined & Distinctive
Earl Grey Forest Gin is produced by the Bond family from our award winning distillery in The Peak District National Park.
We pick ingredients from the local forest such as bilberry, wild raspberry, gorse flower, pine and moss. These are ground by hand in a pestle & mortar with traditional gin ingredients, including Organic Juniper, Organic coriander seed, liquorice and vanilla.
These freshly ground ingredients are then distilled just once in our tiny 30 litre pot still, before the addition of an incredible blend of Earl Grey Tea by Cheshire blenders Quinteassential, along with our own spring water from the ground beneath the distillery.
The resulting spirit retains all of the herbal, earthy flavours of Forest Gin, whilst the addition of the Earl Grey Tea blend adds sumptuous, delicate notes from oolong, cornflowers and Sicilian bergamot.
We suggest pouring this with your favorite tonic over ice with a slice of fresh lemon, or it is a fantastic base to add a depth of flavour to many gin cocktails.
Nose: Rich, sweet, distinctive
Palette: Soft Earl Grey tea, warm, smooth, a hint of bitter
Finish: Ripe tannins balanced by sharp citrus zest
Visit Our Distillery
A Taste of Forest
- Location Macclesfield
- Price from £ 15,00
Highlights
Join us for a Taste of Forest.
One hours visit to the UK’s highest altitude distillery! Inclusive of our Classic Forest London Dry & Tonic, followed by two neat samples, . £15 plus booking fee per adult.
1PM – 1:45PM
About this event: Forest Gin & tonic on arrival. One of our team will talk you through the tasting profiles of our spirits, enjoy a brief introduction to the botanicals we used in our spirits and learn how our spirits came to be. Enjoy a guided tasting of our Forest Earl Grey Gin and Forest Blended Whisky. You are welcome to stay in our cosy distillery bar afterwards for a cheeky tipple or two. Limited spaces, this event must be booked in advance.
Due to our remote location, we reserve the right to cancel the event at short notice in the event of poor weather conditions (snow!). In such an event, you will be offered a full refund or an alternative date.
Our tours & tastings are strictly over 18’s only, we cannot permit any children or infants on our tours. Please note that the maximum group size is 8 adults. If you are interested in a large group private tour please contact events@theforestdistillery.com.
Please note that unfortunately dogs are not permitted on these tasting events. We do not have WiFi on site so please be prepared to miss the outside world whilst here!
Inclusions
- Drink
Earl Grey Forest Gin Productive Bond family
The Forest Distillery Cocktail Club at The Cat & Fiddle.
Earl Grey Forest Gin Productive Bond family
- Location Macclesfield
- Price from £ 35,00
Highlights
Join our Weasels every last Friday of the month for our Cocktail Club!
Taking place in our cosy Distillery Bar at The Cat & Fiddle.
We will showcase different exclusive cocktails using our award winning spirits with a breakdown of the recipe so you can make them yourselves at home!
You will be treated to 3 fabulous cocktails on the way and some cheeky cocktail samples.
A few nibbles will be included; please contact events@theforestdistillery.com with any dietary requirements.
With the option to stay and enjoy some extra time in our Distillery bar and order more drinks of your own choosing.
Arrival 18:00 – Start Time 18:30 – Finish 20:30 – Closing 21:30
Over 18’s Only.
Please note that we are in a remote location so a designated driver or some forward planning with transport will be required. Due to our remote location, we reserve the right to cancel the event at short notice in the event of poor weather conditions (snow!). In such an event, you will be offered an alternative date.
Inclusions
- Food Nibbles
- Drink 3 Forest Distillery Cocktails! and 2 samples!
What you need
- Warm Clothing
Earl Grey Forest Gin Productive Bond family
Earl Grey Forest Gin Productive Bond family
