Cumbrian Gins & Distilleries in Cumbria
As well as being home to the Lake District National Park, Cumbria is home to some wonderful gins, distillers and distilleries, inspired by the landscapes and botanicals of the region. The Lakes Distillery in Bassenthwaite was the first to launch in Cumbria in 2014 and has become a major tourist attraction with a focus on whisky as well as producing gin. In the south of Cumbria, Shed One Distillery launched in Ulverston in 2016 with a focus on craft distilling with a dedication to environmental sustainability, as well as offering small group tours and personalised distillery experiences. Black Cat Distillery in Penrith and Grasmere Distillery in the heart of the Lake District became the newest distillers in Cumbria after launching in 2022 and subsequently opening for distillery experiences.
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Authentic Cumbrian Distillers: The distilleries and gins featured in this guide are those which, to the best of our knowledge, are genuinely based in and distilled in Cumbria. There may be additional products on the market named after places in Cumbria or that are run from Cumbria, however, they are not featured if our understanding is that they are produced outside of Cumbria.
Cumbrian Gin Reviews
Black Cat Gin - Penrith
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Black Cat Distillery was founded in 2022 by Clare Jeremy and her husband Phil Harrison, having previously owned a specialist Belgian Beer bar in Keswick. The distillery is based at Brougham Hall, a 14th Century fortified hall located between Brougham Castle, Brocavum Roman fort, and the Neolithic site of Mayburgh Henge. As well as offering Gin Making Workshops, the Black Cat Gin range has grown to include their London Dry Gin, Pink Peppercorn & Pomegranate Gin, Mediterranean Herb & Olive Gin, and Christmas Gin.
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Grasmere Dry Gin - Grasmere
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Grasmere Distillery was launched in 2022 as an expansion of Grasmere Brewery. The brewery was established in 2018 by local resident Paul Abbott alongside their tap room, The Good Sport. Grasemere Distillery is a 'grain-to-glass' distillery, making their own base spirit from sugarbeet rather than using bought--in Neutral Grain Spirit. With this they produce Grasmere Dry Gin, sugarbeet vodka and English single malt whisky, and the distillery is open for tours and tastings.
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Shed One Gin - Ulverston
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Shed One Distillery was launched in Ulverston in 2016 by Andy and Zoe Arnold-Bennett. The distillery was originally in a 7x7ft garden shed before moving across the road in 2019 to a former calf shed with space for visitors and a bar/shop. Andy and Zoe launched their debut gin 'Cuckold's Revenge Gin' in 2016, named after the cuckolded Master Ford from Shakespeare's 'The Merry Wives of Windsor', and have since applied a dedicated approach to environmental sustainability and created a range of gins, flavoured gins and liqueurs.
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For more gins from Cumbria try:
- Pennington's Lakeland Moon Gin from Kendal, The Lakes Distillery Gin from Bassenthwaite, Wild Sheep Gin from Keswick, and Yan Gin from Herdwick Distillery in Kendal.
Distillery Tours & Gin Schools in Cumbria
Several of The Lake District and Cumbria's distilleries are open to visitors for tours, gin making experiences and events, which make for the ideal experience for gin lovers living in or visiting Cumbria and the lakes:
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1. Black Cat Distillery (Penrith)
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2. Grasmere Distillery (Grasmere)
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3. Shed One Distillery (Ulverston)
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4. The Lakes Distillery (Bassenthwaite)
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Meet the Makers
Get to know Andy & Zoe Arnold-Bennett of Shed One Distillery, Clare Jeremy of Black Cat Distillery, and Paul Abbott of Grasmere Distillery in our 'Meet the Makers' interview. Find out what inspired them and how they established their distilleries, how their gins are made, what botanicals are used, what you can experience if you visit their distilleries, how best to serve their gins, and they have planned for the future:
"We found that our recipes work best by starting with a full compound gin which we filter and then distill in a traditional-style pot still. This produces the bigger, bolder flavours we desire." - Andy & Zoe Arnold-Bennett, Founders of Shed One Distillery
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"We fuse traditional techniques with cosmopolitan influences for modern and elegant flavours, tied together with water from theLakeland fells which contains the very soul of the Lake District." - Clare Jeremy, Black Cat Distillery
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"We ferment and distil whatever we like, from lager to whisky! Everything is made by hand, here in Grasmere. We're also part of this community. Grasmere is our home. We live and work here." - Paul Abbott, Founder of Grasmere Distillery
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