Wine Cellars tries spirited approach
PORTLAND Wine Cellars has launched its own gin, Portland gin No 1, made under licence from the Birkdale Distillery.
There has been a wine and spirits merchants at the corner of Portland Street and Sefton Street for more than 100 years,.
But Portland Wine Cellars felt that, with a reputation for selling some of the finest wines in the North West, it was only right to expand its product range and added its own blend of gin to the mix.
The distiller at the Birkdale Distillery, Damian Bond, 54, said: “Birkdale Distillery is already running gin-making masterclasses on site at Portland Wine Cellars.
“The first one was such a success that David Smith, owner of Portland Wine Cellars, decided to go the whole way and launch his own gin brand.”
Portland Wine Cellars already sells Birkdale and Southport gins made by the micro-distillery in Birkdale Village which has been operating since 2017.
Birkdale Distillery produces six flavour varieties of Birkdale gin, Southport gin and Burscough gin and over two years has sold around 3,500 bottles.
In November last year, a group of 18 gin-loving customers tasted five different blends and scored them for qualities of balance, length, intensity and complexity.
The blend with the highest score was chosen to officially become Portland Gin No 1.
After installing its own still and undergoing training, the business began mixing its first batches.
Damian said: “The winner is a very crisp, London dry-style with a strong juniper flavour. Two batches were made in December and sold out in days.”
Portland Gin No 1 is now available in 70cl bottles for £36.00 and 20cl for £14.99.