When it comes to enjoying a tipple or two, there’s nothing quite like sharing a gin with pals. For Nicola Lampkin, one of the founders of the award-winning Otterbeck Distillery – creators of Craft Gin Club’s September 2021 Gin of the Month – friendship is one of the key ingredients that goes into the making of their gin.
We find out more about how three gin-loving friends came together to create an award-winning gin distillery, as well as the delicious Cotton Garden Gin that Craft Gin Club members can unbox in their September 2021 Gin of the Month box.
Cotton Garden Gin
Distilled in Yorkshire, UK , exclusively for Craft Gin Club members
42% ABV
Botanicals:
Juniper, cassia, cardamom, yarrow, elderberry, coriander leaf, coriander seed, angelica, orris, lemon, orange, rosemary, sage, thyme and mint.
Tasting Notes:
Reminiscent of an autumnal English garden, this is an aromatic gin, with an earthy backbone. On the nose, discover notes of English garden herbs, that mingle with citrus on the palate. Juniper lingers long on the finish.
The Spirit of Friendship
Otterbeck’s co-founders, Nicola and Alexa
The setting of Yorkshire’s Otterbeck Distillery reads like something from a fairytale: verdant flower-filled gardens, lush green fields, hedgerows brimming with fresh produce ripe for picking and the River Aire flowing alongside it all. Call it serendipity or happenstance, but the building that would eventually become the Otterbeck’s distillery was on co-founder Nicola’ Lampkin’s property when she and her husband Dougie first bought it.
“The distillery today is a converted five-story cotton and silk mill. When we bought the property, the former eighteenth-century cotton mill sat derelict. We renovated it and turned it into offices, and there was one space left – and that is what eventually became the distillery.”
Nicola had always loved gin and the dream of creating her own gin became a regular topic of conversation between friends.
“Otterbeck Distillery co-founder Alexa and her husband Chris used to own a brewery called Ilkley brewery. They also liked gin and wanted to eventually distil one, and that’s the beauty of us friends all coming together.”
Before embarking on her ginny journey, Nicola was a primary school teacher, specialising in art and design – with a spot of interior design on the side.
“I stopped teaching when my children left primary school, which kickstarted conversations with my husband Dougie along the lines of: We’ve got an empty building here, shall we make gin?! From there, we began discussing with our friends how exactly we should go about it, as well as how I could design the bottle and packaging and how they could bring their respective skills to the business – and that’s pretty much how it started.”
In fact, it was while celebrating New Year’s Eve 2018 with a gin in hand that pals Nicola and Geri found themselves making a particularly exciting New Year’s resolution: 2019 would be the year they turned their gin-making dreams into a reality. Then, in January 2019, Geri's husband made a trip to London where he happened to bump into his friend and former colleague, Chris (co-founder Alexa’s husband, who would go on to be Otterbeck’s distiller).
“Chris was talking about how he would love to find somewhere to distil gin as he had completed a gin distilling course and had a background in brewing, but couldn’t find the right place to do it. Geri’s husband came back from London and said: Right, Geri, we need to get Nicola, Dougie, Chris and Alexa together. It’s fate!”
Otterbeck Distillery
Team Spirit
Today, the Otterbeck Distillery team is headed by the three friends and co-founders: Nicola, Alexa and Geri. Nicola looks after all things creative at the distillery, including the illustrations that adorn each of the bottles, which Nicola draws by hand.
“Alexa and I run the distillery day-to-day. Alexa oversees the numbers, accounts, and dispatch and sales side, while I do the creative side and the social media and marketing. Geri has a full-time job, so she’s not involved day-to-day, but she’s there in the background. While Alexa and I are the faces of the brand, it’s the three of us predominantly in business together.”
Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Nicola and Alexa’s husbands Dougie and Chris also get stuck in with distillery work when they can, with Chris heading up the distilling.
“He has a full-time job and distils on the side. Having said that, he’s currently distilling weekends, nights – everything! My husband also fills in between his work, and he’ll do everything from the bottling to the dispatching. It’s all hands on deck, but it’s so nice to be doing it with friends!”
Cotton Gin, Otterbeck Distillery's signature craft gin
Craft Work
With the team and roles firmly in place, distiller Chris began experimenting with botanicals using a small pot still.
From there, the friends would meet regularly to test recipes. It eventually took 16 turns on the pot still, over a period of six months, before they decided on their very first recipe – recipe number 14 – which in turn would become their signature Cotton Gin.
They were not the only ones who loved recipe number 14, either.
“Our good friend, the chef James Martin, also joined in on the tastings. We would send samples of the recipes to him and ask him what he thought, and he would send his advice back.”
Once the recipe was agreed upon, it was time to source the right equipment for the job. In October 2019, distiller Chris visited CARL stills in Bavaria, Germany, who agreed to craft a bespoke still for them.
They had planned for the still to arrive in April 2020, but they inevitably faced delays with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst these unforeseen events put plans back somewhat, it did give the Otterbeck team the chance to get the building ready.
“The still eventually arrived at the end of May. The instructions were in German! Engineers couldn’t travel at this point, so our husbands put the still together by themselves. In all, it took two weeks to construct before we turned it on – but everything fit like a glove. She looks beautiful and has worked brilliantly ever since.”
Eliza, Otterbeck Distillery’s still
In keeping with the history of the mill, Nicola and the team decided to name their still Eliza, in honour of one of the original mill owner’s wives, Sarah Eliza.
Nicola, Geri and Alexa also looked to the history of the former mill when deciding upon a name for their gin.
“As soon as we said ‘Cotton Gin’ we thought: Of course!”
‘Cotton gin’ was the name given to a machine that was once used in the mill to separate the cotton threads.
Otterbeck Distillery eventually launched in July 2020 – the day hotels and restaurants reopened following lockdown. And it was good timing, as many local establishments started stocking Cotton Gin from the outset, from Michelin-starred restaurants such as the Angel at Hetton to local farm shops.
A taste of Yorkshire
The garden at Otterbeck Distillery
From using local botanicals to championing small businesses, the team at Otterbeck are keen to evoke a taste of Yorkshire in their gin. Which is why you’ll find local, fresh botanicals such as watercress and hand-foraged spruce, picked by distiller Chris, in their gin. What’s more, still Eliza is the perfect vessel for showcasing the delicate aromas of these locally-foraged ingredients.
“Eliza has a separate aroma chamber from the main pot. That means we can put in a basket of fresh botanicals such as mint, rosemary, sage and lime, and the oils and flavours can be extracted and not get lost in the main part of the still. It’s called vapour infusion – it’s a bit like making perfume!”
Championing the local area is also what led them to collaborate with Captain Sir Tom Moore to create Otterbeck’s Captain Sir Tom’s London Dry Gin.
“The partnership came about when my husband was filming a documentary with Captain Tom at the beginning of last summer, as they both shared a passion for vintage motorcycles. Tom originally came from down the road, and he hadn’t visited here for years. Tom and his family decided to come and visit the area and to show his grandchildren where he was brought up. They came to the distillery to have a taste as Tom loved gin!”
At the time, the family mentioned how lovely it would be if Tom could have his own gin – and Nicola and her pals set to work.
“We based the recipe for the gin on some of Tom’s favourite botanicals. We said: When you were young and you rode in motorcycle competitions here in Yorkshire, what did you see in the hedgerows when you were riding your bike? What were your favourite places to ride and what would grow there? And they were the flavours we pulled together for this gin.”
Captain Sir Tom’s London Dry Gin
Captain Sir Tom’s London Dry is available to buy on the Craft Gin Club online shop here!
Secret Garden Gin
Yorkshire’s bountiful hedgerows and gardens were also the inspiration behind Otterbeck’s delicious special-edition gin, Cotton Garden Gin, made exclusively for Craft Gin Club, which you will find in your box this month.
“We’ve tried to keep everything we can see in the hedgerows and the gardens around us as the inspiration, such as fresh local mint, thyme and heather. The distillery has a garden set around it, but also fields and the riverside and hedgerows and lanes. We thought we would bring these influences into the spirit, as well as the fact that we love herbaceous gins.”
Cotton Garden Gin with Otterbeck Distillery’s pot still
For the Cotton Garden Gin, Nicola and the team wanted to create a tipple that people would be able to enjoy in their gardens and green spaces in September, and to enjoy the end of summer with.
“We generally do get nice Septembers these days, so Cotton Garden Gin is continuing that summer vibe. It’s ideal for having people over in the garden in the sunshine – it’s such a refreshing, herbaceous, smooth and overall great quality gin. The tonic Craft Gin Clubbers are receiving in their box is such a brilliant pairing, too. It’s like it has been made for Cotton Garden Gin, or the gin has been made for the tonic!”
Launching during a pandemic has meant the team haven’t been able to welcome as many gin fans to the distillery as first hoped, but they can’t wait for more people to see Eliza for themselves and drink Cotton Gin in situ.
“Now the world is getting back to normal a little bit, I love meeting visitors and customers and chatting with them and getting their feedback. It’s so lovely to see them in person, and we can’t wait to meet more gin lovers. When you come and visit us, you get the feel for the location where the gin is created: the riverside and the Yorkshire countryside. You get the idea that we’re in a really quiet and tranquil place, and it’s so nice to drink the gin in this spot. We love chatting to people and welcoming them when we can, and I think customers really appreciate that. Especially because we’re all good friends – everybody drinks gin with friends!”
Cheers to that, we say!
Otterbeck Distillery co-founder, Nicola Lampkin
Craft Gin Club members can buy Otterbeck Distillery’s Cotton Garden Gin here!
What other gins do Otterbeck Distillery make?
Cotton Gin
Cotton Gin is a delectable blend of aromatic botanicals including Yorkshire watercress, English coriander and hand-foraged spruce, making it a fragrant and herbaceous gin.
What awards has this Cotton Gin won?
Masters, Spirits Business Awards 2021
Silver, 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Bronze, 2021 IWSC Awards – International World Spirits competition
Gold, Gin Masters, Spirits Business Awards, 2020
Gently Spiced Winter Cotton Gin
With warming notes of fresh ginger, cloves, orange and nutmeg, this well-rounded gin is ideal for cosy nights in, especially when September turns into October.
What awards has Gently Spiced Winter Cotton Gin won?
Gold, Spirits Business Awards 2021
Bronze, 2021 IWSC Awards
Strawberry & Pink Peppercorn Cotton Gin
Otterbeck Distillery has teamed up with Annabel’s Deliciously British Strawberries to create this exquisite gin bursting with fresh, Yorkshire strawberries and a touch of spice on the finish.
What awards has Strawberry & Pink Peppercorn Cotton Gin won?
Silver, Spirits Business Awards 2021
Captain Sir Tom’s London Gin
A delicate and herbaceous London dry gin with soft hints of citrus, rosemary and thyme. Fresh and aromatic, reminiscent of English summer gardens.
You can read all about Captain Sir Tom Moore and his gin at this link!
Discover all the treats that Craft Gin Club members where sent with Otterbeck Distillery’s Cotton Garden Gin by clicking right here or on the image below!
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