Foragers to launch new whisky
LIQUOR made in Macclesfield Forest with foraged ingredients has become the toast of the Far East.
The Forest Distillery, run by husband and wife team Karl and Lindsay Bond, has already found success by exporting its gin to Japan.
But the couple, from Langley, have now created Forest Whisky, which has also secured a large amount of pre-orders.
Remarkably the couple only began making gin at their home as a hobby in 2014 with ingredients they had picked themselves such as raspberries, pine and even moss.
Such has been their success both gave up their jobs to distil full time and daughter Hattie, 10, also helps by going on the foraging trips.
Karl, 40, said: “Japanese people love Scottish whisky but English whisky is still new and unique.
“Our bottles are made of porcelain, which goes down well, and when we have been there people love the pictures we show them of the Macclesfield Forest.
“There’s a lot of trial and error, we make what we like and hope others will too.”
So far one barrel - the equivalent of 300 bottles - has been shipped over to Japan and its contents were quickly snapped up. One buyer alone ordered half the barrel in one go.
There are no foraged ingredients used in the whisky as yet but it does contain water from a natural spring on the site of the distillery.
Various gins had already been shipped out to the country as well as to China, Australia and the USA.
Around 12 months after beginning their hobby the couple received a request from Harvey Nichols to stock their gin.
Shortly after that Karl quit his job in IT distribution and Lindsay, 38, gave up her beautician work at Sugar Plum Hair and Beauty.
Karl said: “We started making gin for our own amusement. At first what we made was disgusting but then it started to work.
“People would come round and ask if they could take a bottle with them when they left.
“Our first lot was 75 bottles in 2015 and we’d have been happy if we’d just got in a few local pubs, restaurants and shops.”
The Department of International Trade has helped Karl and Lindsay with their exporting.
A spokesman said: “Ambitious businesses like the Forest Distillery are beginning to fly the flag for English whisky.”