Gins with a sense of place
Danny Cameron is out picking gorse on the day we speak. 'It has a very long flowering season but now, in its first flush, is when gorse is at its best for us. You get a lot of flavour from it.' The yellow blooms that blaze across the slopes of the Dyfi Valley in Wales are one of around 20 locally foraged botanicals Cameron uses in his small-batch distilled Pollination Dovey Native Botanical Gin, which has just become Britain's very first gin to be awarded UK Geographical Indication (GI) status.
The next one he picks will most likely be hawthorn flowers – 'our use of hawthorn is quite small but it can give a lovely delicacy in a broad blend,' he says – or, possibly, nettle tips. Through July and August, he will gather around 52,000 stems of bog myrtle, Myrica gale, a beautifully perfumed, damp-loving shrub traditionally used to repel midges.
Hand-picking 52,000 stems sounds arduous but apparently 'that's actually the easy bit. After that, we de-stem by hand so we end up with around half a million leaves. We don't want the stalks in the still because it gives a bit too much woodiness. It's not unpleasant, it just doesn't work in that particular blend. With Pollination we're looking for delicacy and subtlety. We preserve the botanicals after picking, then do a blend from across the year, otherwise we'd only have three-quarters of the [artist's] palette.'
The tiny Dyfi (pronounced Dovey) Distillery lies in a Unesco-designated biosphere reserve in the southernmost part of Snowdonia. Of its four gins, only Pollination has been granted the UK GI, meaning it has characteristics attributed to a specific geographic origin. The process of attaining this status sounds almost as laborious as the bog myrtle leaf-picking. Cameron, a wine importer in his previous life, says it took five years from start to finish and, as well as the inevitable mountain of paperwork, involved a tasting to ascertain that Pollination has distinctive organoleptic qualities that aren't replicated in gins from elsewhere.
Pollination Dovey Native Botanical Gin (45%), Dyfi Distillery, £37.95 for 50cl
Thanks to the popularity of London Dry gin, it's a common misconception that gin classifications have long been tied to place. But London Dry describes only a style that can be made anywhere provided the right regulations are adhered to, including sweetness levels and that the botanicals can only be introduced during the distillation process.
While Pollination is the only gin in the UK to win GI status, there are others made using foraged or local ingredients with the intention of representing the fragrances and perfumes found in nature around the distillery in which they're made. For instance, Hepple Gin is made in Northumberland using Douglas fir from the surrounding woods, and lovage and blackcurrant leaves from the distillery's gardens. Cambridge Dry Gin was inspired by a Cambridge meadow and its botanicals include basil, rosemary, lemon verbena and rose. Even King Charles has got in on the act, with a (rather good) gin inspired by the lemon verbena, thyme and rosemary that grow at Highgrove.
Highgrove Organic Garden Botanical Gin (40%), Highgrove Gardens, £44.95 for 70cl
While sales of the novelty gins have fallen, artisan gins are still going strong. 'We haven't really been affected [by the slide in gin sales],' says Cameron. Probably because Pollination Dovey Native Botanical Gin (45%, Dyfi Distillery, £37.95 for 50cl) is for aficionados: made in tiny quantities, it's available only from the distillery door or website (as well as being served in a number of top restaurants, such as the Black Swan at Oldstead). It's a beauty: textured and aromatic like a wild landscape with fat bees buzzing and a gentle breeze blowing.
Three more bottles to try
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
11 hours ago
- Sky News
Thunderstorms and flooding expected to follow hottest day of the year
Warnings are in place for flooding and thunderstorms across large parts of the UK, with stormy weather set to last until early evening. It follows the hottest day of the year on Friday, which saw a high of 29.4C (84.9F) in Santon Downham in Suffolk. The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning until 6pm across the South West, North East and North of England, Wales and much of Scotland. Check the weather forecast where you are They said there had been over 30,000 lightning strikes during the night, with the "vast majority" over the sea. The Met Office has warned some areas could see 30-50mm of rain in a few hours, while a few locations could reach up to 80mm. At the same time, strong wind gusts and hail accompanying the storms could potentially bring road flooding, difficult driving conditions, power cuts and flooding of homes and businesses. The Environment Agency urged the public not to drive through flood water, reminding drivers that "just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car." A further yellow warning is in force in the eastern half of Northern Ireland from 6am to 6pm on Saturday, while a similar warning has been in place across the South East of England overnight following an amber alert on Friday. Kent experienced heavy rainfall overnight, with flooded roads in parts of Dover, while a fire in a residential building in St Leonards-on-Sea on Friday night was likely caused by a lightning strike, the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service say. Devon received five flood warnings overnight by the Environment Agency, alongside 46 flood alerts in the South West, South East and Midlands. A further six flood alerts have been put in place by Natural Resources Wales in South Wales. National Rail said a landslip had stopped all services between Exeter St Davids and Okehampton, with the weather conditions meaning it is not safe for engineers to reach the site. Disruption is expected until around 1pm. Other rail operators also warned customers to check for updates on services on Saturday morning. Heathrow Airport apologised to passengers late on Friday night for flights delayed by "adverse weather conditions". Sky News weather producer Steff Gaulter said: "The most active thunderstorms are over parts of Wales, Northern Ireland, Northern England and Scotland, and some are still bringing localised downpours and strong winds. "The storms will continue northwards, becoming largely confined to Northern Ireland and Scotland by the afternoon. Elsewhere will see a mixture of sunshine and showers, with the showers tending to ease during the day. "Then from tomorrow an area of high pressure will start to stretch towards us, and the weather next week is looking far calmer and quieter." Despite the risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms, not everyone will see rain during the day, with the driest and brightest weather expected in the South East, which will remain very warm. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued its first yellow heat-health alert of the year, active until 8am on Sunday in the east of England, East Midlands, London, and the South East. Under the UKHSA and the Met Office's weather-health alerting system, a yellow alert means there could be an increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people. A yellow alert warns of a possible spike in vulnerable people accessing healthcare, and health risks for the over-65s and those with conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. While scientists have not assessed the role of global warming in this short-term event, in general they expect more heavy downpours as the climate changes. That's largely because hotter air can hold more moisture and so releases more water when it rains.
BBC News
13 hours ago
- BBC News
Group of Surrey men hike 11 mountains in a day for charity
A group of Surrey men are set to hike up 11 mountains in a day to raise money for charity. The 22 dads from the Epsom area will take on the "Carneddau to Coast" challenge across the rugged mountains of Wales. The Epsom Trailblazers will walk the 30km route with a 1,700m ascent to raise money for the Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People and the Brain Tumour Charity."Doubtlessly it's going to be a challenge," said David Lyle, detailing how the route in Snowdonia was "very remote" and could get "a bit dangerous". "But we have been doing a lot of training," he continued. "I am sure we'll pull together and get through it - some how." Mr Lyle said the "good group of friends" were planning to finish the feat all together in around 12 hours, after starting at 5:00 BST. They would be taking beers in a cool box for when they finish and already had a curry house booked for the evening, he added. "Hopefully, we'll finish by then," Mr Lyle told BBC Radio Surrey. Established in 2016, the Trailblazers' charity hikes have raised over £55,000 in recent years through walking challenges. Their fifth charity challenge has raised nearly £8,000 so far. "Their determination, camaraderie and generosity are truly inspiring," said Firzana Khan, community fundraiser for The Brain Tumour Charity.
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘On a peak under a blue sky': the joy of summer in Europe's mountains
After a tough scramble to the summit of Rhinog Fach, we look down into the deep valley holding the chilly waters of Llyn Hywel, then west across several miles of heather, bilberry and bare rock to the Welsh coast. Turning my gaze north, there is the entire Llyn peninsula leading east to the peak of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), no doubt weighed down by thousands of visitors. Up here there are just two of us in an utterly peaceful landscape. No clouds on the horizon. No surprises. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. I lie down for a few minutes and feel myself drift off. There are no human voices to be heard, only birds. Summer has come early to these mountains and I wouldn't be anywhere else, drinking in that particular kind of tranquillity to be found on a peak under a blue sky. Mountains were not always seen as appropriate places to relax on a summer's day. Those lofty, mist-wreathed realms held surprises, most of them nasty, such as trolls and demons. Maybe a few ancient folk knew perfectly well that mountains in summer were wonderful, but they weren't the sort to publicise the fact: the solitary shepherd, gold prospectors not yet consumed by gold fever, and the workers who put up drystone walls – they all must have known the joy of lazing on a summit, perhaps seeing shapes in clouds. Changing culture and taste took a revolution led by artists and poets, men such as Nicolas Poussin, who in the 17th century tried to win people over with paintings of mysterious peaks and epic landscapes. Unfortunately, he couldn't resist adding a fallen Grecian column and a nymph draped in wispy stuff. It took another 150 years before the German artist Caspar David Friedrich relocated the wispy bits to the mountain tops, evicted the nymphs, and added one rugged poetic type, gazing out over the towering tors with a vaguely proprietorial air. His Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog (1818, now in Hamburg at the Kunsthalle) remains the most evocative depiction of the romantic ideal. After that painting, summer in the mountains was de rigueur, but it turned out that Friedrich's sturdy 19th-century mountaineer was actually looking for a place to build a man-shed. All over the continent, wealthy romantics started funding simple dormitory accommodation, often precariously balanced on vertiginous crags. These mountain refuges were vital in allowing people to access the peaks, and became a huge part of my own enjoyment of the mountains. The first to be built was Refuge des Grands Mulets on Mont Blanc in 1853. There is still a hut there, rebuilt a couple of times, perched at 3,051 metres (10,009ft), overlooking the Bossons glacier. My own favourite, Rifugio Nuvolau, is a period classic in the Dolomites, built in 1883 and a haven of stout carpentry, hearty food and astonishing sunsets. Not all are antiques: Monte Rosa near Zermatt is an aluminium solar-powered box that sits above the Gorner glacier and requires ropes and crampons in order to reach it. Some huts are very high indeed: the Margherita on the Italian Monte Rosa is, at 4,554 metres, the highest building in Europe. Sweden's Låktatjåkko (1,228 metres) is both high in altitude and latitude: it's 155 miles (250km) inside the Arctic Circle and often buried in snow, even in summer. Digging to the front door is worth the effort: they serve fantastic waffles with cloudberry jam. The staff in these huts are usually charming and helpful. Not all guests, however, are so wonderful. 'There was one British visitor who, during the course of the night, pushed all the other sleepers along the dormitory bench,' complained one French guest after staying in Refuge de Ciottulu di i Mori in Corsica. 'He left a huge empty space behind him and we were all squashed up in one corner.' (I've no idea why I rolled like that. I was fast asleep.) Making a reservation in one of these treasures can require persistence. The famous ones are often booked out, but many of the huts I've mentioned have alternatives nearby. Where there are no mountain huts available, a tent is not always needed. In Romania's Carpathians, I've slept in hay ricks after jolly evenings drinking plum brandy with farmers. Sadly, the hay rick is disappearing as agriculture modernises, but the Carpathians remain a fine mountain destination. Once a local hunter persuaded me to go on a bear hunt (no guns involved). We climbed through shady pine forest and golden flower-sprinkled meadows to warm rock and vast vistas. The hunter described a recent incident when he was chased up a tree by a bear. He proved it by showing his rucksack, complete with claw marks. On our descent, we stumbled on a fresh bear track and, for a second, the idyllic evening was shot through by lightning bolts of adrenaline. An undeniable fact of mountain life is that moments of arcadian bliss can be abruptly ended. You go up in sun, and descend in a wild storm. The unpredictable must be expected. Helm Crag in the Lake District was a favourite of Romantic poet William Wordsworth and for that reason many go to commune with nature. One blustery lunchtime, I was sitting a little below the craggy summit about to enjoy a picnic when a group on the top suddenly flung their grandmother into the air. Caught by the wind, the old lady was whipped sideways and down, straight into the sandwich that was about to go in my mouth. Ash-scattering ceremonies really should be more careful. The ancestor went to her final resting place tainted with Branston pickle. Sign up to The Traveller Get travel inspiration, featured trips and local tips for your next break, as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays after newsletter promotion British mountains aren't enlivened by European-style huts, but we do have bothies, camping barns, the Youth Hostels Association (YHA), and a number of good cottages for hire. To climb the Rhinogydd (often anglicised to Rhinogs), I based myself at the off-grid retreat of Garth Gell farm, all lovely hand-worn woodwork, flagstone floors and dusty books. The Rhinogydd are often touted as the most rugged mountain chain south of Hadrian's Wall, which is a bit hard on the North Pennines and Cheviots, but the paths are certainly steep and challenging, deterring many visitors. The chain stretches for about 13 miles, with the highest point at Y Llethr (756 metres) where the 360-degree panorama is really special. The view is, of course, a big part of the attraction. We go up because we can see further. My snooze on Rhinog Fach is interrupted by my companion. 'Look!' he says. The best summer mountain experiences always have that unexpected moment: the bear jumps out and claws your rucksack, human remains land in your picnic … that kind of thing. I sit up, suddenly alert. 'On the wall. Down there.' There's a bird, its pale chest striped with grey, its tail fanned out in annoyance as a horde of smaller birds are mobbing it. And then it calls. I have never considered the cuckoo to be a mountain bird, but there it is at 600 metres on a Welsh hill. And at the same time, away to the west, the haze lifts a little and the blue horizon puckers behind the last bit of Wales. The Blackstairs Mountains of Ireland have appeared. A summer's day in the mountains is complete. Accommodation was provided by Garth Gell, a Kip hideaway, which sleeps six from £240 a night
