Distillery 2 of 40

Spirit of Manchester Distillery & Three Little Words

Producers of Manchester Gin

Under the arches, where 30 years ago was a working mainline train station, now stands Seb & Jen Heeley’s homage to the industrial history of Manchester. The city where they met, had a family and have now built a legacy. It is a fantastic juxtaposition between the old and the new, not just of Manchester’s history but theirs too.

I have a connection to Manchester Gin too, Manchester Gin Raspberry Infusion was the second gin I ever purchased, it helped cement the thought in my head that there was a big world of gin out there for me to explore. And with Manchester now my second home (Hong Kong being my first) it was only fitting that the new Manchester Gin Distillery was part of my 40 distilleries at 40.

The week we went was soft launch week for the distillery, who were in the process of  moving in. And as part of opening week we were offered food on the house alongside our experience, so we arrived promptly at 12 noon at Three Little Words (the new bar / restaurant attached to the distillery) to line our stomachs ahead of our gin fuelled afternoon.

A cocktail at the bar first while we waited for our table to be ready. The fabulous bartender recommended a “Swipe Right” which was an incredibly delicious combination of Raspberry Infused Gin, Ginger, Rhubarb, Fruit Punch Tea and Ginger Ale.

We sat down at a table by the window and took the helpful waiter’s suggestion of 5 small plates between 2 of us. We had Haloumi, Lamb Fry, Courgette Flower, Chicken Lollipops and Seared Beef. Everything apart from the Chicken was utterly scrumptious. The Chicken which was coated in a Dandelion & Burdock glaze was nice but everything else was just that bit better.

Dessert on the other hand was something special…my sister had the Blondie with Liquorice Ice Cream and in her words “this is my new favourite dessert”, me being allergic to eggs had the Knickerbocker Glory which can only be described as the most incredible, mouthwatering adult Ice Cream Sundae ever filled with basil, grapefruit and plums. I could have eaten another 5… but gin was calling.

We congregated back by the bar for our free Signature G&T before the start of the tour, a perfect serve with a twist of orange and a sprig of rosemary. We then stepped into the distillery, where Seb introduced us to their new stills each named after important women. Seb was great, he likened making gin to cooking and said that Juniper and Coriander were the best of friends like Onion and Garlic.

He told us more about the story behind Manchester Gin which is a simple one and resonates throughout the building,  from the names of their businesses, to their location,  to the banks of their stills,  their old door that graces back wall of the gin school and even the name of their dog DD – “Distillery Dog”. It is clear they are trying to build a family legacy for their son in the city that both Seb & Jen feels gave them so much.

In terms of Gin they wanted to create something citrus led to start and narrowed down the gins they loved to just 3; Monkey 47, Tarquins and Fifty Pound Gin and used these as their underlying flavour inspirations. I think you can taste the clarity and diligence in the smoothness of their signature gin.

The gin school is beautifully set up, people walking by on the street can see students tinkering away with botanicals from the huge array that is available. And Seb knows his stuff, he diligently helped every one of us figure out what proportions of everything to use. I made mine with Kaffir Lime Leaf, Lime, Lemongrass & Ginger – it was missing a little something, but still citrus heavy and smooth.

This place is definitely worth the visit, especially for the food and the cocktails and I will be going back.

You can book tours, gin school or a table for food all through their websites:

http://www.threelittlewordsmcr.co.uk

http://www.manchestergin.co.uk

Nb. This experience was not gifted by Manchester Gin, with the exception of the food, we paid for everything as part of our Gin Making Experience. It was £85 for 2.5 hrs and included a distillery tour, guided tasting, 2 G&Ts and a bottle of self made gin.