Inspired Spirits LLP t/a Modern Art Distillery 2023 / 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London. WC2H 9JQ, UK
Modrn Art Fine Distillery near Cardiff
OUR STORY
Caroline Harrison & Catharine Russell
Our story begins many years ago, when we met on our first day as undergraduate students at a London university. We hit it off and it wasn’t long before we became firm friends.
Through our years at university we experienced adventures, laughter, heartache, tears and a few too many glasses of gin – little imagining that these shared moments would shape our future lives decades later.
After graduating, we went our separate ways and over the years that followed our worlds trod a conventional path through life’s journey of careers, marriage and children. But wherever we were, and no matter how far apart we lived, we always kept in touch – and when we met the corks would pop as we celebrated another much-cherished reunion.
Some 30 years on from our university days, living closer to each other on the south coast of England and with our children having flown the nest, we decided – over a glass of gin, of course – that we were ready for another big adventure.
Modern Art Distillery – or M.A.D – was born.
Over many long days and late nights our ideas grew into a vision for a range of high quality, uniquely flavoured craft spirits – gin, rum and vodka – that could provide a canvas for artists, allowing them to display their artwork on our bottle and introducing them to a worldwide audience.
We hope you will share our vision and join us on our journey – let’s raise a glass to love, life, art and creative spirits everywhere!
OUR MISSION
“To produce a unique blend of craft distilled spirits that characterises and promotes modern & contemporary art, supports artists – including those new & emerging -and encourages global connections”
Modern Art Distillery is a melting pot of art, ideas and spirits. We are bringing together some of the country’s leading master distillers, a multitude of established and emerging artists, and a host of other creatives – from photographers and designers to venue hosts, gallery owners and social media gurus – in order to infuse our range of gin, vodka and rum with the true spirit of creativity.
We firmly believe that creativity in all its forms is fundamental to our lives: it connects us, it helps us understand the world around us and it builds a better place for us to be in. Modern Art Distillery’s spirits range captures the essence of creativity by combining beautiful contemporary artwork with imaginative spirits flavours.
The labels on our spirits range are all taken from paintings especially commissioned by us from artists across the UK and beyond, with a QR code that will take you to our website so you can discover more about our products and the artists.
Each bottle, with beautiful artwork on the label is a desirable collectable item or – if you’d prefer a larger version of the artwork to hang in your home – you will find signed limited edition prints for sale here on our website.
WHO WE ARE
We are M.A.D (Modern Art Distillery) – we create premium craft distilled spirits showcasing artists, particularly new & emerging artists, in a unique way.
We have discovered a way to combine our love of gin with our love of art and in doing so are supporting artists and promoting their work to a global audience alongside our unique products.
We are Caroline Harrison & Catharine Russell and we were able to draw on our many years of diverse professional experiences and a shared love of art for our new venture. Caroline is an IT specialist, a magazine publisher and has an interest in art, and Catharine is a former journalist turned craft practitioner and educator.
How did we get here ?
London Dry Gin 70cl Country Special
£42.00 inc. VAT
Description
Modern Art Distillery (M.A.D) London Dry Gin Series 2 ‘Country’ 70cl
A unique gift numbered and collectable bottle – a fantastically modern London Dry Gin artisan gin showcasing the citrus florality and sweetness of sumac, boosted by fresh lemon peel, bright hibiscus and a hint of pink peppercorn. Finished with soft, fragrant lime leaf and fiery cassia bark, and perfectly balanced with the bold resinous notes of aromatic juniper berries. A surreal taste sensation.
Art ‘Follow the Fergie’ by artist Emily Duffin (Northampton).
Sumac is very popular and versatile Middle Eastern spice find out more here on the BBC Good Food glossary.
London Dry Gin 70cl Festival Special
£42.00 inc. VAT
MAD Gin Modern Art Distillery London Dry Gin ‘Festival’ 70cl. Artisan gin with sumac. Collectable gift for gin lover, art by Natasha Whalley, Kent
Description
Modern Art Distillery (M.A.D) London Dry Gin Series 2 ‘Festival’ 70cl
A unique gift numbered and collectable bottle – a fantastically modern London Dry Gin artisan gin showcasing the citrus florality and sweetness of sumac, boosted by fresh lemon peel, bright hibiscus and a hint of pink peppercorn. Finished with soft, fragrant lime leaf and fiery cassia bark, and perfectly balanced with the bold resinous notes of aromatic juniper berries. A surreal taste sensation.
Art ‘The Spirit of Music’ by artist Natasha Whalley (Kent).
Sumac is very popular and versatile Middle Eastern spice find out more here on the BBC Good Food glossary.
London Dry Gin ‘Sea’ 70cl
£42.00 inc. VAT
Gin gift MAD Modern Art Distillery London Dry Gin ‘Sea’. Craft distilled artisan gin with sumac. Collectable gift for wild swimmer Art by Lu Cornish.
Winner in Contemporary Category at The Gin Guide Awards 2024.
Description
Modern Art Distillery (M.A.D) London Dry Gin Series 2 ‘Sea’ 70cl.
Winner in Contemporary Category at The Gin Guide Awards 2024.
A unique gift numbered and collectable bottle – a fantastically modern London Dry Gin, artisan gin showcasing the citrus florality and sweetness of sumac, boosted by fresh lemon peel, bright hibiscus and a hint of pink peppercorn. Finished with soft, fragrant lime leaf and fiery cassia bark, and perfectly balanced with the bold resinous notes of aromatic juniper berries. A surreal taste sensation.
Art ‘the Call of the Sea’ by artist Lu Cornish (Cornwall).
Sumac is very popular and versatile Middle Eastern spice find out more here on the BBC Good Food glossary. Sumac gin is very distinctive.
London Dry Gin ‘City’ 70cl
£42.00 inc. VAT
Gin Gift MAD Modern Art Distillery London Dry Gin ‘City’ 70cl. Craft artisan gin with sumac. Collectable gift, Art UK cities Jet Pictures, Bath, artists.
Winner in Contemporary Category at The Gin Guide Awards 2024.
Description
Modern Art Distillery (M.A.D) London Dry Gin Series 2 ‘City’ 70cl.
Winner in Contemporary Category at The Gin Guide Awards 2024.
MAD gin is a unique gift numbered and collectable bottle – a fantastically modern sumac gin, a London Dry Gin, artisan gin showcasing the citrus florality and sweetness of sumac, boosted by fresh lemon peel, bright hibiscus and a hint of pink peppercorn. Finished with soft, fragrant lime leaf and fiery cassia bark, and perfectly balanced with the bold resinous notes of aromatic juniper berries. A surreal taste sensation.
Art ‘Separation & Amalgamation’ by Bath emerging artists Emma Taylor & Jason Dorley-Brown discover these artists on their website (Jet Pictures) or find out more on our artists page Emma Taylor & Jason Dorley-Brown
Sumac is very popular and versatile Middle Eastern spice find out more here on the BBC Good Food glossary. Sumac gin is very distinctive.
London Dry Gin ‘Land’ 70cl
£42.00 inc. VAT
MAD Gin Modern Art Distillery London Dry Gin ‘Land’ 70cl. Artisan gin with sumac. Collectable gift for gin lover, art Yasmin Davidson, Isle of Berneray.
Description
Modern Art Distillery (M.A.D) London Dry Gin Series 2 ‘Land’ 70cl
A unique gift numbered and collectable – a fantastically modern London Dry Gin artisan gin showcasing the citrus florality and sweetness of sumac, boosted by fresh lemon peel, bright hibiscus and a hint of pink peppercorn. Finished with soft, fragrant lime leaf and fiery cassia bark, and perfectly balanced with the bold resinous notes of aromatic juniper berries. A surreal taste sensation.
Art ‘Machair Stripes’ by artist Yasmin Davidson (Isle of Berneray).
Sumac is very popular and versatile Middle Eastern spice find out more here on the BBC Good Food glossary.
Blueberry & Bergamot Gin ‘Connections’
£42.00 inc. VAT
BLUEBERRY & BERGAMOT FLAVOURED GIN – premium flavoured craft gin with a London Dry base with blueberries & bergamot flavour and art on a collectable bottle. Modern Art Distillery support new & emerging artists a unique concept. The bottles are collectable. Artwork on this Blueberry & Bergamot Gin bottle is by Chris Pompa an abstract mosaic artist from Cardiff.
Description
BLUEBERRY & BERGAMOT GIN – a flavoured gin from Modern Art Distillery (MAD).
A perfectly balanced floral and citrus driven London Dry craft gin, infused with vibrant blueberries and bright perfumed bergamot, rounded off with a splash of late summer redcurrants – a veritable palette of colours, fragrances and flavours.
A twist on the traditional blueberry gin – the addition of bergamot gives this gin a very delicious and unique flavour.
Art on these uniquely numbered collectable bottles is by emerging artist Chris Pompa. Chris lives in Cardiff and works mainly in abstract mosaics, his work may also be seen on christpompaart on Instagram
Natasha Whalley
Portrait Artist (Oils) & Mixed Media
Visit Instagram here to
discover more art by
Natasha Whalley
19-year-old Natasha Whalley from Kent is currently in her first year at the University of Bristol, studying Engineering Mathematics. Her artwork, titled The Spirit of Music, appears on the label of our award-winning London Dry Gin. The label produced as a limited edition Festival Special was first launched at Pub in the Park, Marlow and on sale at M.A.D’s other festivals and shows.
Natasha has had a passion for art since she was 13. She says: “I found drawing to be one of the only times I could sit and process my thoughts. I continued with art during school and found such enjoyment in oil painting.”
She studied the work of the Dutch Masters for A level Art and would often try to use their techniques in her own portraits. “My A level covered two main topics – the first, an analysis of oppression within extremist religion, and the other looking at the ephemeral nature of people due to illnesses like dementia.”
It resulted in her gaining full marks for her A level Art (see images of some works below) and going on to win an award for the Most Promising Young Artist in Dover, Deal and Sandwich. Though she is now studying a science subject, Natasha believes her artwork is improved by her analytical perspective and allows her to understand more deeply not only the techniques she uses in her work but also to find the most focused way to display the meaning of her pieces.
“I find art brings me comfort as it gives me moments away from my otherwise STEM-based work,” she says. “I would love to continue with my art and maybe one day have a career doing oil portraits.” Natasha works in oils, acrylics and watercolour – her mixed media artwork for Modern Art Distillery captures the festival atmosphere at events like Pub in the Park and the Foodies Festivals which bring together well known singers and bands with celebrity chefs and food experts for a culinary and musical experience.
Emily Duffin
Illustrator / Artist
Discover more art by
Emily Duffin on Instagram
My inspiration comes from the small moments of magic that occur in the every day lives of animals. I am lucky enough to live in a small, Northamptonshire village, nestled between rolling hills and working farms. Many of my illustrations include characters I meet along the way, including the villages resident donkey and Shetland Ponies. I grew up on a small farm and I studied fine art at degree level.
A very almighty blow came when, after a short spell working in the property market, I was widowed at the age of 30. As I had a very young daughter to care for I started illustrating for friends and family as I could work from home. That was 6 years ago, and I now work full time as an illustrator/ artist.
Lu Cornish
Mixed Media Artist
Lu Cornish lives with her family in Cornwall, where she grew up, and is inspired by her love of the ocean and the natural world around her.
Her colourful and quirky paintings present a cheerful and often amusing representation of the sea as well as reflecting her belief in the positive effects and healing power of the coastal environment on people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Seascapes, women and wild swimming are a recurring theme of Lu’s art, and her own struggles with mental health issues have influenced her creativity. She begins her artwork by hand sketching ideas before adding textures and scanning designs into her iPad, to complete the pictures digitally.
Lu gained a degree in graphic design from the University for the Creative Arts, Epsom.
© Modern Art Distillery
Emma Taylor & Jason Dorley-Brown
Jet Pictures – Mixed Media Artists
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT
EMMA & JASON HERE:
Jet Pictures
Emma Taylor artist
Jason Dorley-Brown artist
Bath artists Emma Taylor and Jason Dorley-Brown are the two faces of Jet Pictures, whose artwork ‘Separation and Amalgamation’ is featured on Modern Art Distillery’s London Dry Gin bottle label.
Jason Dorley-Brown is a photographer and digital artist. He left Bath as a 19-year-old to take a job in a London photographic darkroom from where a 25-year-long career started.
He went on to work in the photographic, printing and fashion industries, based in London and New York City, before returning to Bath in 2009 where he lives with his wife Karena.
Jason’s ‘eye’ has been influenced by his work with and for photographers along with pop and abstract artists. His love of analogue photography has been joined by an appreciation of the digital processes of image creation. He has embraced the use of Photoshop and digital image ‘apps’ to enhance and, in many cases, to completely change the original image.
In addition, Jason is an ambassador for Bath Mind, a local charity whose mission is “To promote and nurture everyone’s mental health through the provision of information, activities, advice and support”.
Emma Taylor is an artist, designer, curator and community worker. Having spent many years in the media industry she took the plunge and set up her own creative business. She lives in Bath with her husband, two grown-up children and an ever expanding menagerie of animals.
She wears a variety of ‘arty’ hats ranging from designing and creating commercial murals for offices and hotels and mentoring and working as a community arts worker in the Bath and North East Somerset area. She also sells her prints and original artwork which are inspired by a love of natural landscapes and nature.
Working together as ‘Jet Pictures’, Jason and Emma combine their very different art styles, initially producing a collection of work called ‘Behind Closed Doors’ that sought to celebrate Bath’s architectural heritage and the human stories behind its buildings. The project was displayed at the city’s Abbey Hotel and raised funds for Bath Mind charity.
Receiving much acclaim for the project, the pair subsequently set up Jet Pictures to continue their collaborate approach, but in addition continue to work on their individual projects. Together
© Modern Art Distillery
‘Segregation & Amalgamation’ 2023 Emma Taylor &
Jason Dorley-Brown © Modern Art Distillery
Jason and Emma’s design for Modern Art Distillery was created using photographic images that Jason took back to black and white before digitally painting in a Pop Art style. Emma then drew by hand the original pen and ink illustrations of parts of the buildings, people, story characters, pets and more.By combining these two unique artistic processes and pulling together historical, personal and humorous imagery, M.A.D ended up with a truly unique design.
