39 Oct22219 Contemporary, Classic Gin Dartmouth Distillery Co was founded in 2017 on the Calancombe Estate Vineyard near Dartmouth, Devon, the location of the Whitehead family home and business, initially to make Dartmouth English Gin. It was an immediate success and won ‘Craft Gin of the Year’ in 2018 against 120 other distilleries across Europe, and now the company enjoys an enthusiastic following of gin lovers that reach right across the world. Bestowed with the title of ‘Best Contemporary Gin Distillery – England’, we got in touch with founder and head distiller, Lance Whitehead to find out more. Lance Whitehead is a perfectionist, with his pursuit of excellence being relentless. In the years since he established his gin distillery, it has branched out from being a gin rectifier to a fully-fledged distillery, setting it apart from most craft gin producers. Critical to its success are its extraordinary, small team, including a terrific young winemaker and apprentice who works closely with Caroline Whitehead, a lifelong wine afficionado. The distillery has also gone on to produce other spirits, making cassis from blackcurrants and calvados-method brandy from cider apples. Lance tells us, “With the long five-year barrel ageing, this is still workin-progress, but the young apple spirit also makes lovely, ultra-smooth apple eau de vie, which we are bringing to the market this winter.” The philosophy for the team has always been to make the best possible spirits they can, without compromise. Lance states, “Being a small distillery, we do everything the best we can, and, so far, this has proved to be the recipe for success.” Selling to many of its customers directly, as well as via a wide range of retail and on-trade outlets and several national distributors, Dartmouth Distillery Co is able to reach more broadly across the UK. Many of its customers visit the distillery in person and are greeted by enthusiastic visitor centre staff, and they enjoy its Gin School, where they can learn the art of gin. This is in addition to being able to explore the vineyards and winery and taste the full range of still and sparkling wines and ciders that are made on the Calancombe Estate. Visitors are also welcome to its award-winning café and restaurant that is staffed by outstanding chefs. Meanwhile, Dartmouth Distillery Co’s unique and award-winning attributes go beyond the high quality of its products to its branding and packaging, all of which are aimed at the ultra-luxury market, and everything it does is achieved sustainably. Utilising solar power for production and planting around 30,000 vines, fruit trees, and bushes contribute to its carbon-negative status. However, while the distillery is massively successful, that’s not to say that this hasn’t come without its challenges. Lance explains, “Clearly, the lockdown and today’s recessionary environment have had an impact on the development of the business, but we are well-funded and have no external shareholder pressure or debt to worry about, so we are resilient. We have absorbed cost increases, and our prices remain the same as in 2018, in a market where gin prices are rising fast.” Ultimately, it’s easy to how Dartmouth Distillery Co has come to achieve such success within the Leaders in Luxury Awards 2022, and Lance is understandably elated. He says, “We would like to thank all our customers and supporters for everything they have done to help our business thrive over the past few years, and here’s to the future!” And that future is looking undeniably bright – so gin drinkers can get excited. The distillery has two new gin products in development, which use fruit grown on the Estate, and it will have other distilled spirits to offer soon, too. In addition, the visitor centre has much to offer, with it proving to be a popular destination for locals and visitors to Devon. Company: Dartmouth Distillery Co Contact: Lance Whitehead, Founder and Head Distiller Email: [email protected] Website: www.dartmouth-gin.com / www.calancombe-estate.com
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