Last month we were very happy to meet Daniel Szor the founder of the Cotswolds Distillery. He lives in the beautiful village of Stourton which is very close to our luxury Bed and Breakfast in Shipston-On-Stour.
Daniel is a great guy who has an amazing city to countryside story (ex New York finance) to tell. He and his family used to travel to Stourton and they slowly fell in love with the Cotswolds.
He decided to jump in with both feet and the Cotswolds Distillery is the wonderful result.
The distillery is obviously a labour of love and Daniel has excellent taste. The surroundings, buildings and everything around it feel lovely; luxurious but tasteful.
They distill the excellent Costwolds Gin, cream liqueurs, a sherry and their whisky is also coming to market soon.
Cotswolds Distillery run a tour of the distillery with a difference. Each tour is lead by one of the distillers and our tour was lead by Angus, a witty, knowledgeable chap who was able to explain the intricacies of distilling the various products in a light, fun way.
The distillery mechanism is very interesting and often reminded me of a cross between Heath Robinson and Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
The tour is about an hour long and very informative. It books up in advance so it is important to reserve a space ahead of time.
At the end of the tour a tasting of the various products is held in the lounge area. We found the tasting very informative. For example their gin is lovely and it is interesting to note how the taste of gin changes when it comes into contact with ice.
Daniel has obviously spent a lot of time and energy on the important areas of this business and it shows. I especially like the branding and packaging.
So all in all a lovely day out and I would really suggest that you visit the distillery and do the tour if gin and/or whisky interests you.