Sussex gin maker in the running for international award

The Gin Guide Awards is the world's largest independent gin awards, celebrating and giving global recognition to the exceptional products, distilleries and people within the gin industry.

Copperpot was founded last year by a qualified science teacher who went on a gin tour, saw that it was quite science based and decided that she could “give this a go”.

She said: “After months of research, testing and experimenting we produced a London Dry gin from scratch, distilled for three hours. This is a premium gin, as it’s not gin that has been infused but has been distilled from the grain."

“It also only uses the ‘hearts’ of the product, not including the additional extras, which although would make it cheaper to produce. This is reflected in the taste and quality of the gin, something we didn’t want to sacrifice on.

“We use artistry and dedication in every aspect of our gin-making process, from sourcing the finest ingredients to the expert blending techniques.

"The botanicals are used in perfect harmony which has led to the gin being what’s referred to as louching, most distillers get rid of the cloudy look, we embraced it. We added glitter to make the clouds in the gin sparkle. The reason why we haven’t taken steps to remove the louching is because it dampens the flavour and that’s not something we wanted. We wanted a gin that took people on a journey, awakening taste buds and arousing their senses.

“We also use a few other botanicals such as cardamom and coriander as these partner perfectly with the juniper berries. Cassia bark and grain of paradise give the deeper tones and the peppery kick as well as orris root keeping that flavour from the first to the last drop. We believe our dedication to quality and flavour sets us apart.”

Commenting on being a finalist in the awards, she said: “It is hugely rare for a business in the first year to get to this stage. There are hundreds of applicants and a vast judging panel and we’ve been selected to go through to the final 14.

“It’s been a whirlwind of a year, lots of learning but even better highs, like winning an award for our gin in our first year of trading. We are soon releasing a new flavour, and hopefully later in the year will be opening a shop in St Leonard’s. We want to thank all our customers and local businesses, for their continue support over the past 12 months, and looking forward our up and coming Gin events in May and June.

Since launching Copperpot has added new flavours and variety to the range, including a sloe gin, a 57 percent alcohol ‘Navy Strength’ gin and a strawberry and raspberry flavoured summer edition gin. They even have an alcohol free gin available.

The gins come in beautifully designed show-piece bottles, with ‘handcrafted in St Leonards’ on the label.

You can find more details about the products, and events such as guided tastings, on their website www.copperpotgin.co.uk.

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