What did you do before creating your distillery and gins? Andy is a professional actor and has been for 25+ years. He has toured all around the UK and beyond, working mainly in theatre but also on the small screen. Zoe started her work career as a special paint finisher before moving to Japan, just for a year, to be an English teaching assistant. The year turned into 7 and Japan turned into South Korea, where she met Andy who was performing at Seoul National Theatre with Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre! What made you decide to start a distillery? When we started compounding for fun, we realised we enjoyed bolder flavours that we couldn't generally find in other gins. We could also see potential for us to spend more time in the beautiful county we live in, rather than having to work away. Once we looked into it as a business, we realised that we could fit a small (25 litre) still in one of our garden sheds, thus keeping start-up costs low, and so we decided to go for it!
Can you tell us more about the distillery and your distillation processes? We started in our 7x7ft shed in our garden. Having two sheds gave us the name as the still went into Shed One. We moved to The Old Calf Shed, 100x20ft, just across the road on Ulverston’s Auction Mart in 2019. Our traditional-style pot still is 100 litres and we don’t have any plans to increase in size. We found that our recipes work best by starting with a full compound gin which we filter, then distil. This produces the bigger, bolder flavours we’ve become known for. Since beginning with gin, we’re now creating and distilling botanical vodkas, plus our traditional strength gin elixir. As well as using traditional botanicals, we also incorporate locally grown and foraged botanicals in many of our creations. With these different types of botanicals we’ve also adapted the way we distil some of the spirits in order to make the most of more delicate, softer notes. What can visitors expect when they come to the distillery for a tour or gin experience? On our Tour & Tastings they can expect a welcome Shed One tipple in a relaxed atmosphere. We’ll show visitors the distillery and talk about the process and our story. Then, it’s back into our stylish and relaxing bar. There are always at least 5 gins and vodkas available to taste and discuss, then guests can choose their favourite for a second tipple. We keep public groups to around 15. It makes it more personal and gives everyone a chance to ask questions. For our Make Your Own Spirit Experiences, we have a maximum of 6 stills so that guests are guided through every part. It’s a good 4 hours of tour, chat, guidance and giggles! While everyone’s spirit is being distilled, we serve scones and sweet treats. You can choose to create your own gin or botanical vodka. This experience won Cumbria Tourism’s Experience of the year in 2022, and went on to win Silver at the Visit England Excellence Awards in 2023. Regarding sweet treats... Zoe has created a botanical-inspired Afternoon G&Tea (with Distillery Tour). Using botanicals found in our spirits, our scones and sweet treats include coriander, cardamom, lime, rose, meadowsweet and more. It’s all gluten-free and vegetarian. Zoe tweaks the menu depending on the season and ginspiration. Shed One is available for various private events, including weddings and elopements! We, Andy and Zoe, are always on hand to host, with the help of our small Shedders team.
Can you tell us more about your exciting collaborations and community involvement? Our “Ulverston 23” gin incorporated locally foraged botanicals and we worked with charity and community groups. Part of every sale was donated to charity through our Marmalade Fund. We were also filmed creating and launching it by a production company for Channel 5 (Cumbria: The Lakes & The Coast). We’ve forged close relationships with community groups like Ford Park, Ulverston. We’ve incorporated some of what they grow in their walled garden including our first, official, Botanical Vodka-Quince, Pear & Sage. We also collaborated with Irini Tzotzorglou, Masterchef Champion 2019, to create a Greek-inspired Gin that won Gold at The Great British Food Awards 2024. What have been the biggest achievements so far? In 2023 we were awarded our fourth “Environmental Sustainability” Award by The Gin Guide, as well as being named the Icons of Gin “Best Visitor Attraction”, and Visit England’s “Experience of the Year”. In 2024 we won Cumbria Tourism’s Makers & Producers Award. From starting in our garden shed, these achievements and the recognition for all our hard work, through some crazy times, has been wonderful. What gins would you always have on your gin shelf (other than your own of course!)? Beefeater Gin is always a go-to. Perfect for a classic G&T and great for Gin Martinis.
What's next for Shed One Distillery - any exciting plans?
There will be more special creations in 2025 plus a few surprises! We’re Green Small Business Certified and we continue to research and implement green initiatives as well as giving talks, writing blogs and supporting others’ environmental sustainability commitments. You Might Also Like...
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