Supporting local has always been something I love to do and when Stockport Gin first hit the shelves, I searched for a taster. During lockdown, I took part in a few of their virtual cocktail tastings with my friends and now you can actually tour their new distillery!
Paul and Cheryl started Stockport Gin from the garage of their home back in 2019. Using botanicals foraged from their local park, Etherow, they created a bottle of gin that not only has Stockport on the label (including in the logo with the viaduct) but Stockport in the actual product. Fast forward 2 years, they have outgrown their home distillery and relocated to the heart of Stockport, with a gin shop to boot. You can shop their range of gins or book to have an intimate tour of their distillery.
The evening started with a Stockport gin and tonic whilst Paul talked us through the history of gin and how Stockport gin was born. Questions around both answered, he poured us a second drink and we headed to the distillery where the magic happens.
Paul talked us through the distilling process and introduced us to their 100 litre stainless steel column still, which makes all the gin! He showed us the main botanicals they use to make their different gins and it was so nice to see them separately and smell them individually. After trying the gin you can really pick them out when you have smelled them on their own.
There are 4 main gins in the Stockport Gin collection and after the distillery tour, we got to try them all. The Original Edition gin is delicious and still one of my favourites for its citrus forward and smooth flavour. The Twist of Lime Edition started life as the Giant Leap for last year’s Frog Trail but was so popular they released it into their collection. To date, it is their most awarded gin and the zesty addition of lime is something I think is really unique.
There are 2 flavoured gins in their collection; Pink Edition and Pink Peppercorn & Pink Grapefruit Edition. Unlike other flavoured gins, they are full strength so no sickly sweet tastes here. The Pink Edition includes strawberry, raspberry and pomegranate for a juicy fruit flavour that allows the juniper to continue to shine through. The Pink Peppercorn and Pink Grapefruit Edition started as a Christmas limited edition but much like the Twist of Lime, it was so popular that it has stayed. The pink peppercorn add a touch of spice with a refreshing fruity note from the grapefruit.
Right at the end you will spy a fifth gin, the latest Frog Trail collaboration! This year, Stockport Gin have sourced botanicals directly from the Indoor Market in Stockport so each batch will be slightly different to allow for what is in season. There is a touch of spice with Chai, but plenty of fruit and a little elderflower foraged from Etherow Park. It is definitely one of my favourites to date and I was so chuffed I got to try it.
After the tasting, we finished our drinks and were treated to a discount on anything we bought in the Gin Shop. The perfect end to a perfect evening and it felt so personal to see where a local product is made, by the people who makes it.
You can book your tour on the Stockport Gin website, priced at £25 per person.
I was invited to Stockport Gin as a guest and was not asked to pay.
1 Comment
[…] Source link […]