DOWNTON DISPATCHES

With summer now upon us this dish celebrates those fresh summer flavours. It started originally as a simple Italian peasant dish and is now a celebrated Italian Classic with clams...

Over the last couple of years, the spirits and food industries have seen a major shift in consumerism as people have become aware of their food intolerances and the rise...

Christmas is appearing once more on the horizon and with the season comes the parade of gin filled advent calendars, all vying for your attention. This year we have teamed...

Over the last month the wonderful duo of Sally and Lloyd of the Christchurch Confectioner have been showcasing regional and local micro distilleries. Their reviews discuss the heritage, terroir, botanicals...

On World Gin Day ‘Just Luxe’ a luxury lifestyle magazine published their review of the most innovative and interesting gins in the global market. Having been included in their review...

At Downton Distillery we are always looking at improving our carbon footprint and improve our sustainability. As improvements are made any savings that we can offer will always be passed...

Explorer's Gin was 'Gin of the Week' with the Gin Guide at the start of May. This was hot of the back of the Gin Guide Awards where Explorer's was...

Winter is nearly over with Spring beginning to creep around the corner. Daffodils and Snowdrops are burgeoning finally providing colour to what has been a very damp and grey landscape....

The annual Chinese New Year celebration starts on 25 Jan 2020 when the Year of the Rat begins, the animal is seen as a sign of wealth and surplus in Chinese...

Early in December Karen Gardener from BBC Wiltshire interviewed Hugh at the Salisbury Christmas market. Having tried Explorer's Gin, she was keen to learn more about Downton Distillery and what...

You can now collect your bottle of Explorer’s Gin from Regent Tailoring in Salisbury, when you order online. Instead of having to wait for the postman at an inconvenient time,...

At the start of the month we celebrated our 1st anniversary by opening the doors to our Chalet at the Salisbury Christmas market, where it all started last year. It...

Last Sunday Olivier Ward of Gin Foundry presented ‘Explorer's Gin’ on Channel 4 Sunday Brunch. He spoke about Downton, Loch Ness and Batch Brew distilleries and what makes each distillery...

The Lee Valley Velodrome a bastion where athletes from across the globe come to compete. It’s here that feats of human endurance have been made, records have tumbled, and dreams...

The Gin Foundry started the original gin Advent calendar. It began one cold, dark winter night when they realised that no one made a gin-filled Advent calendar. To resolve the...

The Royal County of Berkshire Show holds a very dear place to my heart. It’s a county show that has both a rich and vibrant history dating back to 1909...

At the start of the year we shipped a bottle of to China to take part in our first ever competition. It never made it; the package was intercepted by...

Explorer’s has been awarded MASTER status at the Gin Masters Competition; this is one of the most prestigious competitions held within the industry. Explorer’s Gin was one of only two...

The grapefruit is a hybrid of sweet orange and pomelo, which is another gin botanical used by distillers. The grapefruit brings a light, zesty sweetness to the flavour profile. Facts...

The definition of 'zingy' is someone or something full of zest that is full of flavour and brings spark and life to something. This is exactly what the lemon does...

It's been a busy six months at Downton Distillery, and we have had the great pleasure in hosting events around the country and internationally! Our events have taken us to...

Muddy Stilettos recently reviewed artisan gins from around the country and recently informed their readership of the best regional artisan gins. We are proud to be within their top 33...

This week we are taking a look at a part of the show that truly defines the whole thing for us – our Bursary spot. Each year, we love to...

The following was written by the Gin Foundry team in 2019. Gin Foundry is now Spirits Beacon. It’s rare when we see a start-up with massive potential right off the...