On the banks of the legendary Silent Pool on the Duke of Northumberland’s Albury Estate in the beautiful Surrey Hills, the Silent Pool Gin distillery has been producing award-winning,handcrafted spirits since 2014.
With a common passion for craft distilling, Ian McCulloch and James Shelbourne came together with a dedicated team and worked tirelessly to transform a group of dilapidated farm buildings into a sophisticated and sustainable distilling facility.
Sustainability has always been at the forefront of the distilling process, from using renewable energy to sourcing locally, the team is committed to working sustainably to minimise their carbon footprint and waste.
The distilling process is central to creating Silent Pool Gin’s delicate yet full-bodied flavour. Inspired by the Silent Pool and the surrounding Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the artisan team wanted to create the perfect blend of romantic botanicals in their gin. To achieve this unique flavour profile, the distillation process is split into four stages.
At each stage, carefully selected botanicals are added to ensure the flavours are perfectly balanced in the final spirit. In the first stage, botanicals,including Bosnian juniper berries, liquorice root, cassia bark, orris, and bergamot are bruised and macerated in base spirit before being transferred to the still. Then there is the gin basket infusion, which hangs in the neck of the Holstein still. Botanicals including fresh orange and lime peel, dried pears,Macedonian juniper and Polish angelica lift the spirit with bright aromatics and rich citrus notes, whilst more delicate botanicals such as rose petals, kaffir lime leaves, linden and elderflower are separately macerated in a process called the ‘Gin Tea Infusion’, lending the gin its ethereal high notes of perfumed lime and floral essence.
The distillation process is finally completed using a multi-chambered fractioning column. The resulting spirit is bright and floral with fresh, clarifying citrus notes and earthy undertones.
