In The Spotlight: Stockport Gin
From the Garage at home to a Premier Stockport Distillery, meet the minds behind the 'Best in Britain'!
Founded by Cheryl and Paul, Stockport Gin is the result of a dream that began on a rainy day in Torquay. The pair have a love for collecting local gins wherever they holiday, it was this that sparked the idea of having their own distillery back in 2019. So, instead of a new kitchen extension, they swapped their day jobs for their garage and started a gin distillery!
Out of the garage and into the town! The gin is now made at the distillery in Stockport Town Centre. Paul and Cheryl were involved in every part of the set-up process. From learning the art of distillation to recipe development and of course taste testing, they began in 2019 and haven’t looked back since! Having found their own roles within the business, Paul and Cheryl are able to both work together whilst also keeping out from under each other’s feet (mostly!)
We teamed up with Stockport Gin to bring you our exclusive, VIP Gin Club edition; Stockport Spiced Apple & Blackberry Gin. Distilled with fresh apples hand foraged from local gardens and mixed with blackberry and subtle spices, it is a perfect winter warmer.
Today, the Stockport Gin Range includes 5 delicious tipples: Stockport Original Edition, Stockport Pink Edition, Stockport Twist of Lime Edition, Stockport Pink Grapefruit & Pink Peppercorn Gin and Stockport Spiced Apple & Blackberry Gin.
STOCKPORT ORIGINAL EDITION
It didn’t take Paul and Cheryl long to decide on the style they wanted for their first gin. They aimed for a classic London Dry style gin. With the style in mind, they began the extensive recipe development process, trying to find the perfect blend of flavours for their initial release.
Upon finding the best combination, Stockport Original Dry Gin was born. With a fragrant nose full of plentiful piney juniper, lemon peel and orange peel. On the palate you get piney juniper to enjoy alongside the citrus, with a soft and rounded mouthfeel. Subtle cardamom then brings all the flavours together while beautiful bold pine notes finish this luscious gin. It is strong enough to stand up to a G&T yet versatile enough to be used in classic or contemporary cocktails.
STOCKPORT SPICED APPLE & BLACKBERRY GIN
When distilling this gin Stockport use a combination of maceration, and vapour infusion. The blackberries go into the gin basket so that the delicate flavours can be gently lifted by vapour infusion. Everything else goes into the still and macerates for at least 24 hours, before distilling.
They use their core ‘base’ botanicals – Juniper, Coriander Seeds & Orris Root. Fresh Apples & Blackberries, as well as Cinnamon, Cassia, Nutmeg, Ginger, All Spice, and Cloves.
On the nose it’s juniper forward with hints of warming spice and ever so subtle floral notes. Whilst to taste, there’s a floral sweetness from the apple which blends effortlessly with more traditional gin botanicals.
Blackberries enrich both the palate & mouthfeel, with nutmeg and ginger bringing a comforting warmth.
Perhaps the most special part of this gin is that the apples were picked from local customers gardens, which brings a community touch.
STOCKPORT PINK EDITION GIN
A pink gin is essential for any gin range! It reminds you of a warm summer evening no matter the time of year. The Stockport Pink Edition Gin is made with their Original Edition Gin botanicals and then infused with Strawberries, Raspberries and Pomegranates to give a fruity and flavoursome twist.
This Pink Edition is a traditional gin with not too much sweetness to give a good flavour while still retaining the juniper notes. It has a refreshing berry sweetness without being sugary and when served with plenty of ice, premium tonic and plenty of berries you get that luscious berry burst tickling your tastebuds!
STOCKPORT GIN TWIST OF LIME EDITION
Twist of Lime Edition was originally launched in the Summer of 2019 as a limited edition to help promote the Stockport Frogs Art Trail. However, it proved so popular that Stockport Gin decided to make it permanent! It’s made using 7 of the 8 botanicals from their Original Edition gin but with a twist of fresh lime peel!
Crisp & zesty on the nose, a full-bodied mouthfeel, with a long, lingering citrus & spice finish.
This gin was the winner of BEST GIN IN BRITAIN at The Gin Guide Awards 2022, receiving ‘exceptional’ scores across the board from a panel of industry experts.
Biggest Achievement So Far?
“Our proudest achievement to date has got to be our Twist of Lime Gin being awarded ‘Best in Britain’ at The Gin Guide Awards 2022!”
What do you love about distilling?
“We love creating new gins, playing around with new flavours, developing weird and wonderful limited editions (which have included botanicals as different as Feijoa, Prickly Pear, tea flown in from Uruguay, and discarded oranges from Selfridges juicing machines) and of course ‘Taste Testing’ / ‘Market Research!”
What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
“Go for it with passion, determination, a desire to succeed and a willingness to put the hours in. Be your true authentic self – that’s your USP. Never try to copy anyone in an attempt to replicate their success – find your own niche, brand and personality.”
AND FINALLY…
“We never had any ambition to say this is what we do for a living, it’s just grown naturally from a passion and enjoyment into a business and we’re both loving every minute of it.”
A truly wonderful business has stemmed from an idea after one too many G&T’s, it really is proof that is you can dream it, you can do it.
