The Cotswolds Distillery was first founded in 2014, after New Yorker Dan Szor decided it was time to take a break from his busy life as a hedge fund manager in London.
He was inspired by his time away from the Capital, taking breaks with his family in the Cotswolds, where they could relax and take in the beautiful English countryside, surrounded by fields of wheat.
While the sight of a wheat field may not particularly thrill most of us, Szor saw massive potential here.
As a Whisky enthusiast he realised that this wheat offered the opportunity to create high quality, locally sourced Whisky, and with that thought in mind, he made the bold move to start a degree in distillation at Herriot Watt University in Edinborough.
This decision proved to be fruitful, and he has transformed what was the shell of some buildings surrounded by countryside in Stourton into one of the most successful English spirits companies in years.
He started the Cotswolds Distillery with a passion for Whisky and a passion for the area. The distillery is very much intrinsic to its surroundings and melts into its picturesque background.
Szor has put an incredible amount of effort into building up the Cotswolds Distillery into the success that it is today. It may be small, but it is having a big impact.
They recently ran a crowdfunding campaign to garner support for expansion and received almost twice the amount needed, from 124 backers.
This shows the popularity and passion not only of the brand but also of their fans.
But what’s all this got to do with Gin? Well like most fledgling Whisky distilleries, Cotswolds Distillery needed to be able to sell something before its Whisky was mature.
They turned their hand to Gin and Liqueurs, and have had massive success so far.
Their Dry Gin is a wonderful example of their potential. It is made with the finest botanicals, including juniper, coriander seed, angelica root, locally sourced lavender, Egyptian bay leaves, lime and pink grapefruit peel, cardamom seed and black peppercorn.
Rather than use dried peels, Cotswolds Distillery uses fresh peel from limes and grapefruit that they hand peel themselves. This allows for more flavour and intensity.
The grapefruit comes out really well on the nose, with a lovely citrus tang to it. it is joined by juniper and lavender, which give it depth and refinement.
The palate is aromatic and bursting with flavour. Again, the citrus notes really come through here and are complemented by the woody juniper berries.
There is a herbal note of bay leak and angelica here as well.
The finish wraps up well, with a nice dryness and some spicy cardamom and pepper.