Lancaster Brewery launches its very first gin and vodka using its own 'secret' blend

The first two products from new distillery, Lancaster Spirits Company – part of Lancaster Brewery – are now on sale. English Grain Vodka and Firecracker Gin have been 18 months in the making and use a secret blend of wheat and rye grains, a 200-year-old Lancastrian live yeast and water drawn from an artesian well, which doesn't require a pump to bring water to the surface.

Housed alongside the Lancaster Leisure Park home of multi award-winning Lancaster Brewery, the company have taken an exceptionally unusual and challenging approach to create their base grain spirit, by distilling from their own specially concocted beer. Many dozens of test brews were carried out over the 18-month development period.

The result, say the company, is a spirit with a proud local heritage and uniquely complex flavour profile.

Even the bottle has involved scrupulous thought and regard. The design is based on a 19th Century Lancaster based brewery – Yates & Jackson – beer bottle and then carefully modified to allow space for the label and etched with the distillery's name.

To produce a single drop of the gin or vodka takes a minimum of five weeks of work.

Phil Simpson, Lancaster Spirits Company MD said: ‘’We’ve taken our time to get our spirits right. Eighteen months of recipe tweaks, plant investment, trials and blind tastings to create a gin and a vodka that exceed our stringent quality standards. Every ingredient has been chosen with balance and harmony in mind.

"We are sure our customers will appreciate the great lengths we’ve gone to ensure the unique provenance of every element of the spirits we craft.’’

Gerard Evans,Lancaster Spirits Company’s consultant distiller and non-executive director, added: “By producing our spirits on such a small scale, we are able to give every batch our undivided attention. We believe that drinkers will appreciate the enormous efforts and care that goes into every Lancaster Spirits Company bottle.”

Firecracker Gin: 40% ABV

Expresses the profiles of seventeen botanicals, each carefully selected and sourced across four continents. Firecracker is an explosive gin, big, stormy and complex, with bold earthy notes of evergreen, a zing of citrus, exotic spices and freshly sawn timber. Not the usual generic, mass produced gin. This is a big, forward and powerful gin that is both silky smooth yet offers a mosaic of flavours wrapped up in a long, satisfying finish. Available in 70cl bottle at a special introductory price of £34 and 50cl bottle, introductory price £27.

English Grain Vodka: 40% ABV

This rich and silky-smooth vodka contains gentle hints of wheat on the palate, with a long and satisfying finish. Perfect for vodka connoisseurs, who will detect hints of peppery spice and tones of chocolate. Ideal in a classic Vodka Martini. Available in 70cl bottle at a special introductory price of £34 and 50cl bottle, introductory price £27.

*Both limited release products are available to purchase online at https://lancasterspirits.co.uk or direct through Lancaster Brewery outlets.