November 2016
Jon Chadwick’s Durham Distillery creates craft gins on the outskirts of the historic city with the help of Jess Tomlinson – the only professional distiller in the region – and a 400ltr copper pot still called Lily.
He said: “Each small batch produces a few hundred bottles at a time, which are bottled and labeled by hand to make sure that it is of the best quality when it gets to the drinker.
“We begin by hand-crushing juniper berries, which are added among other robust botanicals, including angelica and pink peppercorn, to a mixture of Durham spring water and pure grain spirit, and left to infuse overnight in the still.
“The next morning a second batch of botanicals is added and as the still is heated, the vapour rises through a copper tube called a Lyne Arm. Mounted on the Lyne Arm is the Gin Basket which contains the third and final set of lighter, more delicate botanicals.”
Now also producing vodka and a limited edition Winter Fruit Cup, the Durham Distillery’s wares are finding themselves into retailers all over the region and further abroad.
“We want to become the North East’s distiller of choice for people who care about the provenance, quality, and craft of the products they consume.”
