Our gin is made at our own distillery in our home town of Teignmouth, not far from Exeter. Just above our distillery is our gorgeous Gin School and Bar.
We started producing Exeter Gin as a result of the demand from our customers who came to our family-run pop-up gin bar in the city centre. They wanted a local gin, so when we could not source one, we decided to make it ourselves!
We were determined to make our gin the kind of high quality product that would reflect the beautiful city of Exeter and its history. To that end we invested in building our own distillery and drawing on inspiration from the City’s Roman past in both the branding and the selection of ingredients for the gin.
Above our distillery, you will find our Gin School and Bar, which is about to open to the general public. So, if you have ever asked yourself ‘Where is Exeter Gin made?’, then you will soon have the opportunity to find out! You will be able to tour our premises, see how we make our gin and then make some yourself at our Gin School. To whet your appetite, let’s take a look at our distillery and see what goes into our award-winning gin.
Gin Distillery Tour
Our distillery features three main stills as well as our area for hand-bottling, labelling and waxing. The three stills can be seen on the gin distillery tour and represent the development of our gin production. From its small beginnings to coping with the current large demand from eager customers, each still represents a stage of our evolution as a company.
Our original small (100ltr) still, which we used to create our first batches of gin, allowed us to make it in small quantities so we could test and perfect our recipes. It enabled us to begin production of both Exeter Gin and Granny Garbutt’s Gin. As the company began to take off, we started to use a 100 litre copper alembic still as well, to cope with the initial orders. As orders began to come in from restaurants, bars and supermarkets, we realised that we needed to acquire an even larger still, and we then brought in a 450 litre copper still, which greatly increased our gin production capacity.
To make our gin, we use ingredients inspired by the Romans such as cardamom, basil, cinnamon, marigold and tarragon. These provide distinctive notes and tones that go a long way to making Exeter Gin so popular. However, we shouldn’t forget the main ingredient of any gin: the juniper berry. We have been very careful in selecting high-grade juniper berries that directly affect the taste of the gin. This combined with the other ingredients, makes a recipe for success that our head distiller keeps a closely-guarded secret.
Our Gin School
At our Gin School, our staff will teach you the process involved in making gin and you will be able to have a go yourself. You can distil your own gin with all the ingredients you’ll need and one of our small starter stills. Our knowledgeable staff will be on hand to instruct and help you. We hope that by making your own gin, you’ll get an idea of why we enjoy our work so much!
Of course, after touring our facility and studying at the gin school, you’ll want to enjoy some rest and refreshment in our new gin bar. We’ll have all of our brands of gin available for you to enjoy in a variety of delicious cocktails. Cheers!
If you are interested in finding out where Exeter Gin is made, then why not register your interest here?