Cheltenham Races and gin create the perfect chemistry
ADAM Mitchell spends his days teaching chemistry, but once he’s home he’s using his knowledge to create something his students can’t enjoy.
Where Walter White used his knowledge in the TV show Breaking Bad to cook up something very illegal, Adam, 30, from Cheltenham, has decided to put his scientific knowledge to use in a much more legal way.
During the first lockdown the teacher at Sir Thomas Rich’s School in Gloucester applied his acumen to create something he was passionate about – gin.
After gaining some advice from his mum back in May 2020, Adam decided to spend time working on his hobbies.
Before the pandemic, Adam loved to spend time touring gin distilleries up and down the country so he thought he’d give it a go.
He said: “I started building up a bit of a collection (of gin) and going on tours. The more tours I went on, the more I understood the science behind it. I’m a chemistry teacher so I went to the tours understanding everything that was going on with the distillation process.”
After getting his home licence and buying a 2.5l copper column, he produced his first batch of spirit and Steeplechase Distillery was born.
After years of watching the Cheltenham Races with his grandad, Adam felt inspired to base his gin around a topic rich in 250 years of horse racing history.
“My love of horseracing stems from my grandad,” he said.
“He’s had a membership at Cheltenham for years. From the age of when I was about 18, we’d go out on
Boxing Day and put our bets on for King George the 6th.
“So I’ve been to the festival for years and I’ve kind of fallen in love with the sport.”
Adam began to research wellloved horses and historical moments at Cheltenham Races that he could base the recipes on.
He now has three gins in his collection including Steeplechase London Dry Gin, Kauto Dry Gin and Best Mate Pink Gin.
Setting up a business in the twists and turns of a global pandemic has been challenging, Adam admits.
The weekend before Adam’s business was set to launch in bars across Cheltenham, the announcement of the second lockdown was announced in November.
“It’s been frustrating,” he said.
“It meant I had to drastically rethink things. I started selling to local shops and doing markets towards the end of November to start promoting the product more widely and see where it would go.”
In January, Adam received a licence meaning he could sell his gin online. He’s also enjoyed talking to businesses around the county and managed to get his gin on the shelves, included at Bath Road Beers, in Cheltenham.
He hopes to launch a new product soon which is going through the final stages of production – but he’s keeping it under wraps.
Looking forward, now the lockdown restrictions are easing, he’s aiming to branch out to bars in Cheltenham and further afield.
Day to day he still enjoys being a chemistry teacher, with an interesting hobby on the side.
To find out more about the company and sample some gin for yourself, head to www.steeplechasedistillery.com/our-gins