Beautiful botanicals The North Wales landscape lends itself perfectly to foraging for fresh botanicals, so it’s no surprise that the region is home to some of the best gins in the country…
Down a quiet lane in the heart of the Flintshire countryside, an extraordinary alchemy is taking place. Carefully chosen and prepared botanicals and infusions are gently commingling in a traditional copper still as eight tortoises of varying size bimble about in the garden outside. Time ticks by, drip by measured drip, in this place where everything is considered and nothing is ever rushed… This is the home of the Clwydian Range Distillery, quite possibly the smallest distillery in Wales. This small business Lemon and Lime Gin from the Clwydian Range Distillery
is solidly built on true family values, with everybody from the children to grandparents being involved at every stage, from picking local gorse petals through to labelling and delivery – indeed, it was the children who were keen to have a tortoise as the logo on their Cariad Gin bottles in tribute to the family’s much-loved pets, foraging for gorse flowers just as the tortoises forage for their food. After a couple of years of trialling different recipes and flavours while waiting for various permissions and licences to be granted, Cariad Gin was launched in November 2018, with the introduction of the first two varieties, Marmalade & Bay Leaf
Dyfi Distillery is renowned for its unique gins
The Brecon Gin range is available from Llandudno’s Penderyn Distillery
Gin and Blackcurrant Gin, followed by the more recent launch of Lemon and Lime Gin and Plum Crumble Gin. Sweet offerings indeed, but the Clwydian Range isn’t the only distillery that has flavoured gins. Did you know Penderyn Distillery produce the award-winning Brecon Gin range?!
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