There are several ways to deal with great upset. One most commonly adopted is to drown one’s sorrows in whiskey. Others prefer leaving the house and taking a long drive.
Today, I found a way to combine the two. I drove almost an hour to get to my furthest Coventry Gem as of yet: The Cotswolds Distillery.
I had searched for the greatest town in the Warwickshire region. Shipston-on-Stour. I spoke about this to Alison, the generous girl who gave me a private tour of the distillery (on account of tours being booked completely until March). She joked about my having picked the best town in Warwickshire and immediately leaving it to go to Stourton, where the distillery is!
Jokes aside, this place is truly astonishing. If the reader should want to find more about the distillery process at The Cotswolds Distillery, they shall be able to find it on their website:
https://www.cotswoldsdistillery.com/about-us/the-process
This will save me spoiling the surprise for you. Alternatively, book a tour. They are £10 per person and include a cornucopia of samples. Namely, you’ll be able to taste their award winning gins and whiskeys. The Costwolds Distillery gin won best gin in the world 2016. Pictured below is a 500-litre Arnold Holstein copper gin still. It looks far more impressive in person.
I’m grateful to Alison for allowing me to take pictures and document the extraordinary process of making whiskey and gin. Their whiskey stills Janice and Mary made for an all the more entertaining tour. Just make sure your flash is off, and your phone is on flight mode. Any spark could cause the entire place to be engulfed in a fireball. Such is the volume of fumes.
When one is done with the distillery, they can go to the shop which sells not only their award winning spirits but also a selection of local jams and chutneys made using their produce. I made a point of buying some fenel whiskey chutney as I have just run out of my spiced apple chutney from Mr Norbury.
The surrounding area’s beauty is awe inspiring. I almost crashed on the way in several times because I was admiring the surroundings of the Distillery. Sadly, being a staunch stickler to the highway code, I was not able to stop midway everytime I saw something pretty. And by the time I had had my fill, it was too dark to capture anything effectively.
I leave the Costwolds Distillery feeling positive and full of knowledge about the production process of gin and whiskey. But most of all I am thoroughly impressed with the kindness and professionalism of the tour guides and till manners. This is a wonderful location for those interested in high quality spirits. A great place for a day out with your loved one, the Distillery and the surrounding countryside are breathtaking locations.
A word of warning however: book early!