Creating a New Gin from Scratch: The Art of Crafting Spring Gin at Secret Garden Distillery
At Secret Garden Distillery, every bottle of gin is more than just a drink—it’s a story crafted from nature’s finest botanicals. We believe in the power of sustainable botanicals and are passionate about creating premium gins that reflect the seasons and our commitment to the environment. In this blog, we’ll take you behind the scenes of how we craft a new gin from scratch, using our Spring Gin as a perfect example of this artful process.
A Blank Canvas for the Season
Our distiller describes our base gin as a "blank canvas" – the perfect starting point to showcase the fresh, vibrant flavours of the garden and create seasonal flavoured gins. Each season inspires a new recipe, and for our Spring Gin, we choose botanicals that encapsulate the rejuvenating qualities of springtime.
The beauty of our base gin lies in its versatility, which gives us the flexibility to combine seasonal botanicals and create an authentic representation of the time of year. For our Spring Gin, this means infusing delicate floral notes, fresh herbs, and subtle citrus flavours that perfectly evoke the essence of spring.
Exclusive 2024 Spring Gin: Crafted for Craft Gin Club
Our Spring Gin, created exclusively for Craft Gin Club in 2024, is a limited-edition release that offers a unique and seasonal gin experience. Available only through Craft Gin Club, this gin is a celebration of spring’s vibrant flavours, crafted to embody the fresh, earthy essence of the season.
Distilled with botanicals from our own Secret Garden, Mark, our distiller, sought to create a gin that showcases the garden’s natural beauty. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), which flourishes throughout the garden and is featured in our Lemon Verbena Gin, takes centre stage in this expression. Mark has long wanted to showcase Lemon Balm as the star botanical and, through experimentation, has crafted a gin that balances the bright citrusy notes with the deep, earthy warmth of Pink Peppercorns. The result is a gin with a juniper-forward character, complemented by soft lemon notes and an earthy richness.
Our Spring Gin is like stepping into the garden at the start of the season—where new growth flourishes, and the air is filled with the scent of blooming botanicals. It’s a true reflection of the season, combining the best of nature’s bounty with the craftsmanship of Secret Garden Distillery.
Showcasing the Garden’s Bounty
At Secret Garden Distillery, we are proud of our commitment to sustainability. Many of the botanicals used in our premium gins are sourced directly from our garden. From vibrant petals to freshly harvested herbs, our local botanicals capture the essence of nature’s seasonal bounty. This farm-to-bottle approach ensures that our gin is not only exceptional in flavour but also sustainable and eco-friendly.
Balancing Botanicals to Create a Seasonal Impression
Creating the perfect seasonal gin is all about finding the right balance of botanicals. For our Spring Gin, we focus on harmonizing the floral, citrus, and herbal notes so that each sip feels like a celebration of the season. It’s not just about throwing ingredients together — it’s about crafting a gin that reflects the fresh and invigorating spirit of spring.
Each botanical brings something unique to the table: the herbal notes provide a grounding earthiness, while the floral ingredients lend a light, uplifting quality. The citrus zest adds a refreshing burst of brightness, bringing together a balanced, full-bodied gin that embodies the essence of the season.
The Story Behind the Bottle and Label Design
The branding of our Spring Gin is deeply rooted in the natural beauty and renewal of the season. Inspired by the walkways weaving through our garden and the wildflower meadows bursting into bloom, we wanted the design to reflect the sense of discovery and vibrancy that comes with springtime.
The label design echos the organic, flowing paths of our garden—places where botanicals grow freely, bees hum, and the first hints of colour return after winter. The soft, natural tones used in the branding are a nod to spring’s delicate yet lively palette, recalling fresh greens, pastel florals, and golden sunlight filtering through new leaves.
This is our first Spring Seasonal gin in our new 70cl bottles with its intricate glass embossing representing a moon gate, invites exploration.
The rounded wooden cork, inspired by a dibber (traditional garden tool) used by our gardeners, and the bee and robin symbols on the bottle illustrate our connection to nature and our commitment to sustainability.
Just as the gin itself is crafted to highlight the flavours blooming in our garden, the branding tells the same story—one of connection to nature, the changing seasons, and the beauty of botanicals at their freshest.
A Seasonal Expression of Craftsmanship
When you taste our Spring Gin, you’re not just sipping a spirit — you’re experiencing the culmination of careful craftsmanship and a deep connection to nature. Every batch of our Spring Gin is an expression of the season, created with a focus on sustainable practices and eco-conscious production.
Our distillation process ensures that every botanical is carefully extracted, allowing the seasonal flavours to shine through. Whether you’re enjoying a classic gin and tonic, mixing it into a spring cocktail, or sipping it neat, our Spring Gin provides a refreshing and seasonal experience.
From Seed to Sip: A Commitment to Sustainability
At Secret Garden Distillery, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. From our hand-picked, local botanicals to our eco-friendly packaging, we’re committed to crafting gins that reflect our responsibility to the planet. Our Spring Gin is just one example of how we use nature’s finest ingredients to create premium spirits that tell a story of craftsmanship, sustainability, and seasonal celebration.
So next time you pour a glass of our Spring Gin, take a moment to appreciate the flavours of the season, the botanicals from our garden, and the sustainable journey that brought it to your glass
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