Rowan Way, Northowram, Halifax HX3 7WF, UK
Speights Fine Quality Gin of Shibden Valley
Welcome to Speight’s Gin.
Tucked away in a lush floral garden; on a tiny street in Northowram, next to the rolling hills of the Shibden Valley, is Peter Speight’s shed. The shed is nestled below a great Horse-Chestnut tree and surrounded by a cornucopia of wild flowers and creeping vines. The shed houses the Speight’s family run distillery, where an elegant copper pot still produces small batches, day in and day out, of the flavoursome floral nectar named after the family – sp8 gin.
There are 12 botanicals used in sp8 gin, most of which are kept under lock and key, to ensure the recipe is a Speight family secret. There is Juniper, of course, alongside, Hibiscus flowers, elderberry, rose petal, wild rosehip, locally sourced hand-picked Bilberries and Rhubarb. The overall taste is a floral bouquet and is like walking in to a flower garden on a hot summers day, where the sweet scent hits your nose.
Peter is obsessed with quality and sourcing natural products. He spends many hours developing future flavours from local ingredients and has a great understanding of how the botanicals influence the Gin. Having developed his unique blends, there are rigorous tasting sessions, which are carried out by his wife Angela and his daughter Victoria. The tasting sessions establish which tonics and flavours are needed to get the full enjoyment from the gin.
A family run business; this isn’t just by- the-book gin making, it’s a full-on family passion. Anyone who has met the family will tell you how much they care about what they do. The Speight’s love nature and all it has to offer, which helps produce this fine spirit, encapsulating a summers day in a bottle.
Part of the future development will be to provide open distillery tours with tasting experiences and Gin making classes. Alongside SP8 gin, Peter will be producing his signature honey roast hams, cooked in his smoker at the bottom of the garden. These would be perfect to order for any special occasion.
Meet the Family
Angela Speight – Peter’s Wife
I have always had a love for alcohol- especially gin, so the idea of creating our own gin was one I was very enthusiastic about. I owned a sandwich bar and cafe for 18 years, which was also a family business with my sisters’ and mum also working there. I love holidaying around England and staying in my apartment at Scarborough. I also love yoga and walking my dogs. My favourite drink is a traditional gin and tonic- Speight’s Signature, which for me is perfect with an elderflower tonic.
Peter Speight – Head of the Speight family
My background is security and risk management, which I have a doctorate in. I decided that it was time to do something different and after going on a ‘gin experience’ it ignited a passion and I have never looked back. Every step has been a learning curve and still is; I’m sure the business will keep us busy for many years to come. I love rugby and sport and rap music – our dog is named after Snoop dog! You can normally find me with a single malt whiskey but when I drink a gin I do like a Speight’s Huckleberry with Mediterranean tonic.
Victoria Shepherd – Peter and Angela’s Daughter
I met and married Daniel Shepherd- our Head Distiller in 2018. I qualified as a teacher in 2007 and have worked full time in school until I became a full time mum to Ophelia in 2019. I now work in and amongst the gin business and love working on the creative side of the gin, so I am mainly involved in design and development of the brand. I love walking my dog, fine dining and also drinking gin! My favourite Speight’s gin is rhubarb paired with the Mediterranean tonic and a slice of lime – YUM!
Daniel Shepherd – Head Distiller and son- in-law
You would normally find me out in the garden distillery, perfecting new flavours and producing small batches of our existing range of gins’ on our copper still ‘Barbara’. My background is a carpenter, which has resulted in me been involved in some important builds in the UK over the years, but I have always had a fascination for chemistry, which comes in handy when experimenting with new flavours. Victoria and I started a new chapter in our lives last year with the arrival of our daughter Ophelia, hopefully one day she will carry on the family business. My favourite drink is my original creation- Speight’s Signature gin.
Sophie
You might find me in the Speight’s garden taking pictures of our gins amongst the flowers. I’m in charge of the social media, taking fancy pictures and shouting about our amazing gin. My day to day job is within the NHS as an Occupational Therapist. In my free time I enjoy music, photography, film and going for a run! My favourite drink is the award winning- Speight’s Rhubarb gin with a ginger ale.
Simon Speight – Peter and Angela’s son
I have a job in sales but help the family in the business on a weekend at events. I love watching TV, fine dining and walking my two dogs Dolly & Teddy. I’m not really a big drinker as I am from a rugby background, so my weekends were mainly spent training and playing, but when I attend a party I am partial to the Speight’s fruit gins’ with lemonade.
Speight’s PEAR GIN
£40.00
40% ABV
Our latest gin to be introduced as part of our continuous recipe development – this has taken over 18 months to perfect.
Easy-drinking, smooth and soft on the pallet with a subtle infusion of vanilla, mango and banana, which complements the Williams Pears – nicely matched with a Mediterranean or light tonic.
Gin: Speight’s Huckleberry | 700ML
This fruit gin from the Speight’s Gin family includes huckleberries, also known as wild North American blueberries.
Featured in
- ROLLING STONE
- MEN’S JOURNAL
- US WEEKLY
NOTICE: Many other small liquor store sites will end up cancelling your order due to the high demand, unavailability or inaccurate inventory counts. We have the ability to source from a large network of licensed retailers to insure in most cases your order is fulfilled.
Size: 700ML
Proof: 80 (40% ABV)
Origin: United Kingdom
Distillery: Speight’s Gin
The Distillery
Botanicals
Using only the finest medical grade botanicals makes our gin stand out from the crowd. After rigorously experimenting for eighteen months; with many different botanical combinations – Speight’s Signature Gin was born.
After the success of the Signature Gin, we turned our attention to the fruit gins. We had so many requests for rhubarb gin, so our Head Distiller Danny got to work!
Bilberry and Huckleberry were the next flavours to follow – quite similar in taste – although a different berry. A bilberry is a European blueberry and a Huckleberry is a wild North-American blueberry. The Bilberry has a sweeter taste whereas the Huckleberry has a shaper taste on the palate.
Each gin has its own unique recipe therefore the botanicals are different for every flavour. Our recipes’ take time to perfect and we are currently developing our pear.
For our fruit gins we combine the freshest locally sourced produce with our botanicals- this is why our fruit gins are bursting with flavour.
Recently our Rhubarb Gin was ‘Highly Commended’ at the Gin Guide Awards 2020, whilst our Signature Gin won ‘Best Distilled Gin’ out of thirty countries.
Launch of the Piece Hall Gin
The Piece Hall in partnership with local Halifax craft artisan-distiller Speight’s Gin is set to release its own brand of gin, which has been inspired by the fascinating heritage of the Grade I-listed building and botanicals from the surrounding Yorkshire landscape, on Friday 11 November 2022.
The iconic venue celebrated its fifth anniversary since a multimillion-pound transformation back in August 2022, and following this, The Piece Hall Trust conceptualised and developed a bespoke gin to commemorate the significant milestone. The gin’s release will coincide with the first day of the venue’s popular annual Winter Makers Markets, offering visitors the opportunity to take a ‘piece’ of the historic venue home with them in time for Christmas or buy a unique gift for a loved one. The Piece Hall’s bespoke gin-based cocktail will also be available as a special to order at the Trading Rooms restaurant and bar from Friday.
The Piece Hall is the world’s only remaining Georgian cloth hall, dating back to 1779 when it was first used for the trading of ‘pieces’ of cloth produced as part of Yorkshire’s famous cottage industry – a vital part of the eighteenth-century textiles trade in West Yorkshire. The soon-to-be-launched gin is lovingly inspired by this unique heritage as well as reflecting local geography, infused with 11 carefully-selected botanicals that create a crisp yet calming flavour. Ingredients include plums and turmeric as were used in the traditional wool-dying process, and dandelion root and heather which echo the surrounding natural Yorkshire landscape, as well as juniper berries; lemon peel; sheep sorrel; marigold petals; elderberries; orris root; and angelica root.
Nicky Chance-Thompson DL, chief executive of The Piece Hall Trust, said:
“It’s been a really memorable year for The Piece Hall – from hosting our biggest series of live gigs yet to celebrating our fifth anniversary back in August with the news that we’ve already welcomed over 10 and a half million visitors since reopening.
“We wanted to create something from scratch that would mark the occasion, and developing the gin has been a real team effort from The Piece Hall, working in partnership with a fantastic craft artisan-distiller that really encapsulates the local independent spirit that is the lifeblood of our venue’s heritage and ethos. The gin is essentially the ‘essence’ of The Piece Hall, and we hope it will help people to experience the truly unique story of the building in a new way – as well as enabling our visitors to enjoy a festive tipple with us to celebrate.”
Peter Speight, owner and founder of Speight’s Gin, added:
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be working with The Piece Hall team. The gin we have created has taken two years to perfect and we are delighted with the outcome. We are still trying to absorb the magnitude of this partnership – our thanks go out to all our friends, family and customers who have supported this amazing journey”.
The gin has been crafted in partnership with multi-award-winning Halifax craft artisan-distiller, Speight’s Gin, in[1]keeping with The Piece Hall’s long history of supporting local independent traders and reflecting the traditional cottage industry connections of the Hall. The gin will go on sale from Friday 11 November 2022 in-store at The Deli and online via the Speights Gin website, as well as being sold onsite at the Horsebox for the duration of this year’s Winter Makers Markets.
ABOUT THE PIECE HALL
First opened in 1779 for the trading of ‘pieces’ of woollen cloth produced on hand looms as part of Yorkshire’s famous cottage industry, this grade 1 listed building is the only remaining Georgian cloth hall in the world.
This unique architectural and cultural wonder is now an award-winning contemporary leisure, retail, cultural and heritage destination, which has welcomed more than 10 million visitors through its historic gates since re[1]opening on 1 August 2017.
The 66,000sq ft open air courtyard, which is on a par with the great piazzas of Europe, is now home to a treasure trove of high-quality independent shops, unique restaurants, bars and hosts a year-round programme of large-scale, world class music and arts events alongside food and drink, and community festivals.
2022’s ‘Live at The Piece Hall’ gigs saw almost 60,000 people watch global music stars including Tom Jones, Paloma Faith, Nile Rodgers and CHIC and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds perform at the venue.
For more information about The Piece Hall please visit www.thepiecehall.co.uk
The Piece Hall
Shibden Hall
From the working landscapes of farming, coal and clay mining, the families that have lived at Shibden have added layers of history, culminating in the public park that was created in 1926.
Known as the valley of the sheep – schep dene – the home of the Lister family for over 300 years. Shibden Hall was the home of the noted 19th century diarist Anne Lister (1791 – 1840). The Hall, dating originally from circa 1420, is a distinctive half-timbered building furnished in the styles of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, adapted and extended throughout the centuries by the families who lived here.
Anne Lister is the focus of the BBC drama series ‘Gentleman Jack’ written and directed by Sally Wainwright. The series explores Anne’s life and the lives of those who lived in the Hall and Estate. Suranne Jones plays the role of Anne Lister and Shibden Hall is one of the main filming locations featured in the show.
Shibden Hall is set in a 32 hectares of informal park and woodland, which have won the Green Heritage Award. Explore the beautifully restored historic grounds which offer cascades, pools, tunnels, terraced and fruit gardens and “Paisley Shawl” inspired Victorian bedding designs by Joshua Major.
Hidden within the depths of Shibden Park is a small wooded area known as Cunnery Wood. This Local Nature Reserve is on the footprint of Anne Lister’s kitchen garden, fish pond, top up of the cascade and rabbit warren (hence the name Cunnery from Coney-rabbit). The area is rich in wildlife from stunning displays of bluebells under English oak, elm and birch to a multitude of songs from birds, healthy butterfly and moth populations and numerous small mammals throughout.
Speight’s Gin has worked closely with Shibden Hall to produce our ‘Shibden Valley Gin’. We can be found stocked in the gift shop of Shibden Hall. We also commissioned our special edition Anne Lister birthday celebration bottles, which can also be purchased on our website.
Speight’s Gin Takes Home the Silver Medal in the 2022 USA Spirits Ratings Competition
Speight’s Signature Gin received a Silver medal from a panel of high-profile spirits industry judges. Speight’s Signature Gin scored highly in three different categories – Quality, Value and Packaging – in order to take home a medal in the competition.
Winning a Silver medal at the USA Spirits Ratings Competition is not only an ultimate seal of approval but also shows that Speight’s Gin is a high-quality spirit with a broad consumer appeal.
One of the guiding principles of the USA Spirits Ratings competition is that all spirits that receive medals in the competition should be those that consumers actually want to buy, whether it is shopping for a spirit at a retail liquor store, or ordering a spirit off a bar menu. As a result, the USA Spirits Ratings competition has created an entirely new 100-point rating system that takes into account three different criteria (Quality, Value and Packaging) rather than just spirit making technique or overall taste.
In order to receive a Silver medal at the USA Spirits Ratings competition, a spirit needs to score at least 80 points.
“We’re really excited that our Signature Gin scored so highly on the various factors that determine the drinkability of a spirit,” said Peter from Speight’s Gin. “We really put a lot of emphasis on creating a spirit with broad consumer appeal, and one that spirit drinkers would enjoy for a variety of different occasions. This award is really a validation of our spirit making expertise.”
Sid Patel, CEO and Founder of Beverage Trade Network, emphasized on the importance of finding spirits that score highly across all three categories rather than just one, “We feel that it offers a broad, comprehensive approach to evaluating spirits the same way that consumers and trade buyers do.”
“Increasingly, consumers are thinking of spirits as brands, just like they would of any other product they find in supermarket,” said Patel. “That’s why it was so important to include Packaging & Presentation as a key judging criteria – it means that the spirit is being created with a specific type of customer or demographic in mind.”
The judging panel included spirits industry professionals with commercial buying expertise. It also included professionals from leading retail chains, wholesalers, distributors, specialty retailers and casual and fine dining establishments.
The inclusion of so many high-profile judges ensured that spirits that were awarded medals in competition were those with a high degree of commercial appeal.
“Tucked away in a lush floral garden; on a tiny street in Northowram, next to the rolling hills of the Shibden Valley, is Speight’s Gin Distillery. Nestled below a great Horse-Chestnut tree and surrounded by a cornucopia of wild flowers and creeping vines. Speight’s Distillery is family, where an elegant copper pot still produces small batches day in day out of the flavorsome floral nectar named after the family – Speight’s Gin”.
