To create gins of exceptional character we take an innovative approach to distillation, cold-distilling botanicals under vacuum with a smooth Yorkshire wheat spirit. Awarded an innovation grant to explore the potential this distillation technique can bring to flavour, head distiller and former scientist Abbie set about creating spirits with a desire to keep flavours as fresh in your glass as they are in the wild. The result is a range of spirits with the freshest, most vibrant flavours unlike any others, all distilled with 100% renewable energy. 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. Each batch of their gin fills just 80 bottles and only two batches are made each week – about 8,320 bottles a year. A proportion of this is now being exported to buyers for high end outlets in Germany and Switzerland. ‘We don’t want a gin factory,’ said Karl. ‘We want to keep things very small. We don’t want to mess with the recipe and the still size because this allows us full control. We know exactly what’s in our gin down to the last berry and this quality of product is not something that can be mass produced.’ The company is also keen to practise responsible foraging – which does not lend itself to large scale production. The sprouting barley is moved to a malting floor or vessel and allowed to grow for four to five days. The moisture and temperatures are controlled to a recipe we have tailored for the type of malt. This process naturally modifies the barley structure breaking down cell walls and protein, releasing starch and producing enzymes. During germination the ‘green malt’ must be turned to stop the rootlets matting.

Forest Gin is distilled in batches of a maximum of 85 bottles at a time. Each bottle contains these key elements: And although the product is uniquely home grown and production is small scale its market is distinctly sophisticated, finding a home on the shelves of exclusive stores such as Harvey Nichols and the Conran Shop (in London and Paris) and restaurants such as the Hind’s Head in Bray, owned by the celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal.

Forest Gin Details

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.

But the couple had no time to drink in the success of their product. By July 2015, just seven months into selling Forest Gin, they were exhausted. Both were working in the distillery past midnight each evening after work and had no time to spend with their families. It was a tipping point. The Cat and Fiddle Inn has been owned by the Robinson family for nearly 100 years. The family are passionate about supporting pubs and local communities but, despite having invested huge amounts into the building over the years, each successive landlord has found it harder and harder to operate a successful business there. As a simple pub, the trading figures simply didn’t justify the investment needed. A lot has changed over the last century and after a lot of careful thought and consideration the family reluctantly decided to close the doors of The Cat and Fiddle. 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: SOURCEDThe Forest Gin Artwork is a one of a kind commission by the respected Papercut artist Suzy Taylor, whilst our Forest Whisky artwork is beautifully cut by Georgia Low.

The botanicals that we collect from the forest bring wild, fresh flavours to our drinks, and the spring water here is filtered through the peat of the moorlands. The barley used to create our whisky is grown just down the hill by Cheshire Farmers, then our fermentors are left open to encourage wild yeast. The oak used in our casks is grown and coopered in England. Our bottles are hand-made in Stoke-on-Trent featuring bespoke artwork, and our distillery dog is called Ted. In just their second year of production Karl, aged 38 and Lindsay, 36, have scooped two double gold medals at the 2016 World Spirits Awards in San Francisco.

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The meteoric success of the Peak District’s first gin has left Karl, who classes himself as ‘a normal bloke’, in a state of amazement and disbelief. Each artwork is cut from a single piece of paper using a scalpel and a magnifying glass in a painstaking process. More information on how Suzy developed the unique “weasel” design with us can be found here. The Bond family swapped their ingredients entirely. Karl bought in organic certified juniper berries, organic certified coriander seeds and premium quality liquorice root, vanilla pods and angelica. ‘It became a bit of an obsession really,’ admitted Karl, ‘to source the best we could.’

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 pour care and attention into every bottle of gin, from the sourcing of ingredients through to ensuring it reaches you in pristine condition in a clever origami-style recycled cardboard box, developed with a local manufacturer.The humble beginnings of the Forest Gin story already sound legendary. In 2014 Karl was working as a trader of IT products and his wife Lindsay worked as a beautician. Cellars. There is a network of cool, damp cellars below the building, which give ideal stable conditions for slow maturation of spirit. We strive to make the best premium spirits overlooking the beautiful Peak District National Park. Let us welcome you to our incredible distillery by booking onto one of our Forest Whisky Distillery Tours. Now available to book every Saturday and Sunday! This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. Located at the 210 year old Cat & Fiddle above Macclesfield Forest, we are officially the UK’s highest altitude distillery.