MAKE YOUR OWN GIN!
Now you can at town’s new distillery and bar
A COUPLE who started making gin as a hobby are opening a distillery and bar where customers can make their own spirits.
Jay Davies and Claire Gibbs have been running Staffordshire Gin from their home in Silverdale for more than two years.
The couple are renowned for their gins and liqueurs which are sold at events and in bars, restaurants and farms shops up and down the country.
They even gained global recognition for their Black Violet gin at the World Gin Awards 2020.
Now the pair have migrated their business from home to their new venture, Castletown Distillery Bar and Shop, which is due to open next week.
Castletown Distillery has been set up inside the former Blues Bar in Hick Street, Newcastle.
The venue, which is due to open on Tuesday, will be open to everyone, whether they want a coffee, an alcoholic drink – or even learn how to distill their own.
Jay said: “We signed for this place in February, and then the pandemic hit.
“The place was a right mess and I remember us sitting on the floor thinking ‘what are we doing?’
“But we rolled our sleeves up and got it done. Apart from the electrics, we’ve literally done everything ourselves. It has been hard work but we have learned a lot about the building and it’s history.
“I came here in the 1980s when it was the King’s Head. I’d come in with my mates on a Saturday afternoon, so it’s been around for a long time.”
He added: “We’ve had quite a few people looking in and telling us that this is just what the town needs, so that has given us some confidence. There is nothing else like this in the area, so we are hoping people will come and have a go.”
Castletown Distillery will offer premium quality spirits, craft beers and hot drinks.
It will also offer customers the chance to take part in ‘experience days’ where they can learn how to distill their own gin, vodka or rum using one of the five mini stills which have been installed at the venue.
And from now on, all of the Staffordshire Gin products will be distilled at Castletown while the filling and labelling will continue to be operated from Silverdale.
Jay said: “We want people to come and have a distillery experience whether that’s gin, vodka or rum.
“People can come along and select their own botanicals and go through the entire process, and while their spirit is being distilled they can go into the bar and try some of our other flavours.
“For people who don’t want to do a full-day, we offer a quicker experience where they can come in and pick one of the bottles off the shelf and mix their own flavours.”
Jay added: “The social distancing guidance will be advantageous to us, because we have never known any different.
“We have put a one-way system in place and we have a created a little terrace at the back to allow us to accommodate everyone and ensure one and two-metre rules can be adhered to.”