On the Grapevine with Richard Esling: Highclere Castle: A gin with aristocratic spirit

Rising majestically from the Hampshire landscape, its familiar towers and honey-coloured stone have become known to millions around the world as the setting for Downton Abbey.

Yet Highclere has a history that stretches far beyond television cameras and fictional aristocrats, and it is from this remarkable sense of place that Highclere Castle Gin has emerged.

Launched in 2019, the gin is very much a product of both the old world and the new. The recipe was developed over four years by American spirits entrepreneur Adam von Gootkin in partnership with the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, whose family has lived at Highclere since 1679. It is an Anglo-American collaboration, combining the romance and traditions of a great English estate with a determination to create a genuinely international premium spirit.

The story begins in the gardens and landscape surrounding the castle. Highclere Castle Gin is made with ten botanicals, including juniper, lavender, lime flower, orange and lemon peel, angelica root, liquorice, coriander seed, cassia and, perhaps most unusually, oats grown on the estate.

Lavender comes from the ancient monks' garden, while records show that oats have been cultivated at Highclere for centuries. The result is a gin with a distinctive softness and texture, where fresh citrus notes and floral delicacy sit comfortably alongside the essential backbone of juniper.

Production takes place at Langley Distillery, reputed to be the oldest gin distillery in England. The gin is distilled in one of the traditional copper stills before being brought to its precise bottling strength of 43.5% ABV. That relatively generous strength gives the spirit enough presence to shine in a cocktail while retaining an impressive smoothness when served simply over ice.

A Gin and Tonic takes on a new dimension with Highclere Castle gin. Serve with good quality tonic water, ice, a squeeze of fresh orange juice and garnish with orange peel and a sprig of rosemary or lavender.

A cocktail called the Lavender Lady is also fabulous. Lavender Syrup and lemon juice are mixed with the gin and shaken with ice in a cocktail shaker. The ice is then removed and the mixture shaken again with egg white before straining. English summer in a glass.

Cocktails are very much part of the Highclere story. Lady Carnarvon discovered handwritten notes in the castle archives dating from 1922. That sense of 1920s elegance and sophistication now runs through the brand, making a classic Martini a natural choice, while there is also plenty of scope for a Negroni or a Tom Collins The Highclere collection of cocktail recipes reflects the versatility of the spirit.

Of course, it is impossible to separate the castle entirely from Downton Abbey. Highclere Castle became a global star when filming began there in 2010, with the television series and subsequent films introducing the house to an enormous international audience. The gin is not, however, simply a Downton Abbey tie-in, but its association with the real castle behind the fictional Downton undoubtedly gives every bottle an added touch of glamour.

Highclere Castle Gin has travelled far beyond Hampshire, building an international distribution and winning recognition in global spirits competitions. But perhaps its greatest attraction remains its ability to put a genuine sense of place into the glass.

This is not merely a gin wearing a famous name on its label. From the botanicals of the estate to the history of the Carnarvon family and the cocktail culture preserved in the archives, it offers a small, highly aromatic taste of one of England's most celebrated country houses.