I do love the sea. We were in Brighton and I came over all Jamie Cullum
“I’m all at sea
Where no-one can bother me
Forgot my roots
If only for a day”
What could be finer than strolling along the prom, hand in hand with Mrs. Gin, the sun shining, the gulls singing, and the ozone doing whatever ozone does? Well one thing could, a visit to Brighton Gin distillery, and that was where we were headed.
We met Helen Chesshire, one of the founders, at The Urchin pub, the Brighton Gin HQ although they are in the process of moving to larger premises on the seafront, such is the success of the gin. The operation is a true British spirit, get stuck in, hands on affair. As we chatted, Helen’s partner in gin, Kathy Caton, turned up on the delivery vehicle, a trusty bicycle. Not the only form of delivery of course; they do, after all, have to get the gin to Harvey Nicks, among other places.
We descended into the basement where the gin is distilled, bottled, filled, labeled, corked and wax sealed; all by hand. The gin was launched on December 11, 2014, quite a birthday present for Helen.
While Brighton Gin is a serious venture (and a seriously good gin in our opinion, see review), the whole approach is laced with spirit and humour; the labels and wax seal are in the colour of Brighton’s seafront railings and they even have a Brighton rock made specially for them in Blackpool (see video, left). One of the recommended serves is a Gin, tonic, ice and a stick of rock.
Brighton gin was created by Brighton lovers who wanted to embody the ethos of the town in a bottle; they wanted a gin that was, in their words, ‘unusual, playful and fiercely independent’. That they have achieved. Have they created a small batch gin to rival the many others now populating the market? We think they have.
October 31, 2016 @ 20:15
Thank you, nice read.