This wasn’t simple a case of soaking Conker Gin in a lump of wood, rather a little tweaking had to be done. The distillery’s flagship offering was reduced to around 45%ABV before being added to former Port barrels (8 at a time) and left to rest for 8 weeks. Once maturation reaches its optimum moment, with the liquid taking on a fiery, caramel hue, it’s disgorged and diluted to bottling strength with water. The drink sits well when sipped on ice, but the very nature of its evenly-spread botanical mix means that its one you can play with. The lime can be dressed up in a G&T with a lime peel, while the gorse flower sweetness could be accentuated by adding in some Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic. The name Conker, incidentally, was a happy accident. Holloway sent his girlfriend Emily a message to say that he’d decided to create a gin and she replied, quite accidentally, with the word ‘conker.’ He realised it was the perfect name: “nostalgic, very British and a word everyone knows but rarely uses. I now get to call myself ‘Head Conkerer’ as well.”

Gin School sessions are three hours long. Guests can also enjoy 10% off all Salcombe Distilling Co. products in their retail store on their visit. This is always a hard question, mostly because it’s all a struggle but also because when you are running your own busiess it helps to have a short memory when it comes to the pain! The hardest learning curve is learning how deal with the daily grind. The realisation that the headaches and challenges exist even in businesses that have ‘made it’ helps you take it more in your stride, letting go of things in your downtime and building a great team to help you take it on. Though a little craggy around the edges now, Holloway was a fresh face in the drinks industry when Conker Gin launched. Prior to starting the distillery he worked as a chartered surveyor, a job in which days stretched on for weeks and weeks into years. When he hit 29, he had what he calls “an early midlife crisis,” and decided to get out of there, deciding, quite suddenly, that he’d be “bitterly disappointed if I retire or die doing what I currently do for a living.”

This process takes around 12 hours, and while initially Holloway was only producing 60 bottles a day, the newer kit and a higher botanical intensity means he’s able to process a few hundred per still per day. Basically, Holloway now produces a concentrate which can be mixed with more alcohol and then watered down to bottling strength. Many producers are snobby about the multi-shot process, but we can’t say we ever noticed a change in quality between then and now… Conker Spirit Dorset Dry Gin to taste… The aroma is unsurprisingly, given the intentions, overwhelmingly rich with pine and elderberry, a duo that we’ll confess to having a soft spot for here at Gin Foundry. Forest floor with deep red jammy fruit is hard not to love and this gin teases you in to sniffing far too aggressively. The fact that it’s high-proof turns this delicious combination into something of a weapon, because a few deep breaths in and you’ll be coughing in the corner and yet you still feel compelled to do it all over again. On the lips, the juniper hits at the same time as the spirit, creating a pine explosion that’s further accentuated by the vivacious nature of the lime peel, which also leaps in to makes itself known. Once the moment passes, juniper and elderberry intermingle happily and a warming heat of cassia comes through on a dry finish.

Concoct a recipe that really captures your personal flair, then watch in awe as your artisanal creation comes to life through the distillation process. Everything you love in a gin, met with the sweet comfort of port and the intrigue of the oak barrel. While gin is made from distilled grain spirit, it doesn’t contain gluten peptides and is therefore gluten-free and safe for coeliacs. The verdict: Best gin 2023 I wanted Conker to be known as an innovative drinks producer, rather than another gin brand jumping on the band wagon. So for our second product, we took our time deliberately avoided the well-trodden gin distiller’s path of expanding into flavoured gins and instead focussed on creating something innovative and meaningful. Founded in 2016 by owner and Master Distiller Neil Harrison, Nelson’s is a small-batch distiller based in the picturesque Staffordshire countryside and producers of the special edition Gluggle Jug Gin, Craft Gin Club’s Gin of the Month in June 2019.

Did you know that Conker is Dorset’s first gin distillery, founded in 2014? They use craftsmanship and the best possible ethical ingredients to distill the excitement and integrity of small batch spirits into the glass - and they did that very thing when creating our spectacular September 2017 Gin of the Month . The marketing spiel says this is “gin, just as it should be”, and while marketing spiels are usually guff, this one happens to be spot on. It’s hard to find a gin simultaneously this archetypal – it’s a classic London Dry – this elegant, and this flavourful (the finish goes on and on). Whether you’re a G&T obsessive or martini connoisseur, No. 3 hits the mark every time. Though, for the record: we like it best with a slug of classic Indian tonic. There are four different types of gin: London dry gin, old Tom, Plymouth and navy strength gin. Is gin gluten-free? To taste, the orange peel is the citrus that seems to have taken control of the fore, before giving way to the flavours captured during the spirit’s gentle slumber. The oak is clear, but it’s not tannic, rather it imposes a fruity and subtle wood note, much tamer than the flavours you’d typically get from the likes of American oak, with more of the previous occupant noticeable here than the ageing process or the charred wood. Clearly, it’s a well suited cask for the gin, as the two play off each other sympathetically enough for it to be recognisably Conker Gin, but with enough character to be a new experience in its own right and worthy of discovery. The spice, not particularly present with the original, is more fiery here and more enduring too. Conker Navy Strength Gin to taste:

Let’s talk about the relationship between you and Marco Pierre White, that was an exciting development, how did it come about and what has the relationship with him enabled the company to do? You’ll even get to apply a wax seal and label to your 70cl bottle so it’s ready to be taken home the very same day. In our pursuit of new and exciting spirits, we've brought together two of our favourite tipples to create a gin like no other. If you think about it, the only thing stopping you from starting something new is fear. We place such an incredible amount of importance on other people’s perception of ourselves that we all too often take the safe road. Taking the plunge really can pay off – Conker Spirit is a testament to this.

More Alternatives…

Holloway himself recommends a Martini with a dry vermouth and a grapefruit peel twist, a mix we certainly enjoy ourselves (suggested ratio is 5 parts Conker, 1 Vermouth)… It’s delicately poised though, so suits being served both classic or with at twist in a Martin. If you are going classic, take our word for it and try Belsazar Dry Vermouth - it partners really well.

Their distillery tours have been awarded TripAdvisor’s #1 Thing to Do in Manchester so don’t just take our word for it!Conker Gin has been a bit of a slow burner. Not everyone’s heard of it, but those that know it love it. It’s a great emblem of the British countryside and while to a casual observer it looks like there’s been little evolution since the start - same bottle, same flavour, same brand identity - that’s only because it launched from such a strong place. It just never needed to grow up. With Conker Spirit Dorset Dry Gin Holloway aimed to create a well-balanced gin, with no botanical much more dominant than any other. He’s achieved this well, with the flavours meld and intertwine delicately. To the nose, it’s a cacophony, with everything rushing forwards at once and shouting to be heard. Summery and sweet meadow-like aromas underpin the experience, with citrus and a soft, floral sweetness holding the juniper in place. Of all the gins out there, none hit the sweet spot between classic gin flavour and moreish complexity quite like No. 3. If you have room for just one gin on your shelf, we’d make it this one. In the same spirit of innovation, we launched the UK's first cold Brew Coffee liqueur completely free of flavourings in 2017.