Gin should always be about juniper and our triple technique brings out its full spectrum of flavour,’ says Warner. ‘But the formula didn’t come easily. We destroyed enormous quantities of alcohol during the trials, and the new equipment that we’d bought was so complex it had us sobbing by dry stone walls, wondering if we would ever master the contraption.’ As Warner assured me, Hepple Gin really is ‘Very much about juniper.’ – to the point where they have devised three separate processes for extracting the flavour of three different types. Hepple green juniper is treated gently in the rotary evaporator, Italian juniper makes it into the copper pot still to create the base, and Macedonian juniper is put through critical CO2 extraction to create a beguilingly spicy and ferocious incarnation. But first, the base gin: Though Hepple Gin does pull a few punches— it is certainly its own gin and not some Gordon’s Gin clone. It works well in a variety of applications and is worth a closer look. To find out more about Strutt & Parker's expertise in Estate Management, visit struttandparker.com/estate-management.

A classic full strength gin with extraordinarily bold flavours of rhubarb and ginger, this sweet gin goes down a treat on each and every occasion. The story… Walter says, “Everything we are doing in the Hepple spirits is trying to rebuild from the ground up. It changed our approach to purchasing and sourcing and distilling. You end up with a gin that sits in the classic category; it is not a massive deviation from the traditional notions of what gin should taste like, but it is massive deviation in terms of how it is distilled.” The gin company, founded by Harry Vaulkhard in 2013, has its home at city bar-restaurant Bealim House where the gin distillery is described as Newcastle's first: "the city’s only working in-house gin still" says the pub which also hosts tasting events. If you really care about natural flavours you approach the lands producing those natural flavours with care and reverence, not just in our approach to harvesting and propagating but also how you treat the ingredients in the still.”

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Even though it all began one frosty morning in the early months of 2013, a recipe is not just a list of ingredients, but of methodology as well, and with so many variable parts, so many different processes – it is little surprise that Hepple’s took two over two years to create. He said: “It was a fantastic honour to be invited today. Being here means the profile of our charity has risen.

I wanted to do pioneering stuff, not harvest subsidies from something like solar,’ he says. ‘I had started to think about what options there were in a part of the country where there is no economic infrastructure to hook into, while all the time keeping an eye on the environmental regulations within a national park.’ We might be some time off being able to sample the Northumbrian Single Malt from what is to be Northumberland's first commercial whisky distillery but it surely will be worth the wait. Clear, classic and smooth. This Geordie take on the timeless London Dry leads with bold juniper flavours and goes down silky smooth, bursting with citrus notes and a touch of sweet spice on the finish. Hand crafted and small batch, this one is a must have in the drinks cabinet. The story…However, that’s not the only juniper they work from. They use Macedonian juniper and Italian Juniper, both distilled both by Pot Still and their CO 2 Extraction method, in combination with their vacuum distilled green juniper. When I initially heard about Hepple Gin, I assumed it would be more of a conceptual-driven thing. Taking the plants and botanicals from a specific area to create something that tastes of a place. Is this accurate, I wondered?

It also spawned the likes of an extra-strength Pirate gin, in a distinctive poison bottle; flavoured varieties and an Angel of the North Gin to mark the sculpture's 20th anniversary - which added a herb from their own garden, close to the Angel, to the original botanicals of juniper, lemon, grapefruit, star anise and cardamom. There followed spiced rum too. Even in tough times - 2020 - the company was voted Alcohol Producer of the Year by Aspire Magazine. For more about the company see here. The British gin is made using a three-step process that distills the spirit in three different ways. Step one is a fairly standard but single-round pot distillation of a grain neutral base spirit along with key botanicals. Step two is a separate, vacuum distillation of different botanicals in a rotary evaporator. Finally, a machine called a supercritical CO2 extraction system, usually used to make perfume, is used to make a third distillate. The three distillates are combined to make the final blend.

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I was on my way to meet Valentine Warner – yes – that affable, lovely man from the telly who likes seasonal produce, and makes many a mother (my own included) swoon. Since first appearing on our screens in What to Eat Now, Warner has been very busy indeed, transforming himself into a champion of his very own gin – Hepple gin, named after the Northumberland moorland he spent childhood holidays on with old friend and Hepple Gin managing director, Walter Riddell, and where the team set up shop to create their own take on one of the country’s most beloved boozes. Founded in 1914, the company started out with a uniquely blended 'legendary dark rum', said to be a favourite amongst sailors and fisherman in the North East. It was taken over by the Harry Hotspur Holdings group in 2013 and business now takes in a full range of rums and liqueurs. There's now also a Lindisfarne Gin and a resurrected 1950s Glen Aln Whisky. A CO 2 Extraction System. More often used by organic chemists conducting research into aromatic molecules and perfumers, “Most of the volatile components, which tend to be lost in hydrodistillation, are present in the supercritical extracts” [ source] More aroma molecules in this case = truer to reality flavor. A tiny distillery in the Coquet Valley collects the wilds of nature and tames them into a spirit with big multi-layered flavours. The making of it is a journey which began in Walter Riddell's native Hepple in north Northumberland with the help of childhood friend - and now food writer - Valentine Warner. Lots of fresh greenery hits the nose first. It’s not just juniper, though there’s plenty of that. The Douglas fir adds a uniquely verdant spin to the aroma, and it smells very much like a wander through an evergreen forest. The lemon peel adds another nice nuance, coming across with a more complex citrus character than I’d expected.