The story of NB Gin begins with the dream of a couple – Steve and Viv Muir. While both have successful careers as corporate lawyers (Viv has recently given up her job to focus on NB Gin on a full-time basis), they both felt drawn to creating their own spirit and the couple started the development phase of their gin in 2011. They commissioned a John Dore Still and developed a recipe that is distilled in batches of no greater than 100 litres at a time. Two years later, in late 2013, NB Gin was launched. A family-owned distillery that produces multi award winning and exclusive NB Gin andNB Vodka. NB Distilleryoffers a unique visitor experience to learn, sample and relax on their Ginspiration Tours or just pop by to visit the distillery, see the majestic copper stills andbuy at great prices from the Cellar Door Shop. This unique and beautiful venue is also available to hire for private tours, parties, corporate meetingsor any special occasion. Viv Muir adds: “NB Gin has been a long time in the making, and thankfully it’s a very good time for us to be entering the market. But the most exciting part is that we have launched it in our home town. The support has been fantastic and there’s been a bit of a buzz about our gin being produced locally, which people really like. We hope that this is just the start. There are no boundaries to our geographical reach, so we look forward to what the future holds for us. It’s been a labour of love to ensure that we never compromise on quality, but a fantastic one.” These are all longer term problems and with talk of some distilleries even failing to get that far, the fact that we are certain that NB Distillery will encounter them, is because they have made a good quality spirit. Already, to help with increasing demand, Steve and Viv have recently upgraded their equipment and have expanded their premises for the second time in a year to make sure that they’re geared up for more significant production in 2015. Given the countless other gins vying for shelf space and whose contents, stories and entire product scream out for being inimitable - it just doesn’t set us alight.

Craft Gin in our opinion should combine the care and attention that goes into creating a spirit (and this is very much the case here), but should also be a celebration of the regionality stemming from where it’s made and the people who make it. There’s no need to be extreme and use a local wildflower that can only be foraged on the second day of the early frost – but this really is a classic gin that could be created anywhere. A little bit more of a regional accent and more provenance would have been nice, even if it were introduced at a later stage.The beautiful and unique venue is also available to hire for private parties, special occasions, elegant hen or stag parties, meetings, networking or a long overdue 'get together'. It can comfortably accommodate up to 20 guests and they would be delighted to create a bespoke event for you including a tour and a gin-tasting gem of an experience. Maximum capacity is 40 people. Guests are welcome to arrange their own food / catering also.

Bottled at 42.0% ABV, NB Gin has clear juniper and coriander seed on the nose with a touch of eucalyptol from the cardamom. To taste, a deep resinous gin emerges as juniper gives way to coriander seed, cassia and a touch of citrus with a warming peppery bite. All in all it is a Classic Dry Gin. Industry figures show just how much sales at the quality end of the market are growing. According to data from Nielsen, the consumer analysts, gin production in Britain has grown by 23 per cent in a decade, and at the premium end, sales increased by 18 per cent between 2007 and 2012. As part of their product development process, Steve and Viv engaged the expert services of Charles Maxwell at Thames Distillers in London, whose family has been distilling gin for more than 300 years. Together with his head of quality control, Gema Zaragoza, they agreed to be part of the official tasting committee for NB Gin and concluded that it was “a fine gin that was extremely likeable”. High praise indeed from the industry experts, and a fantastic endorsement from a company which produces more than 40 gins for 30 brands.

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Using eight typical gin botanicals - juniper, coriander seed, angelica root, grains of paradise, lemon peel, cassia bark, cardamom and orris root – NB Gin is both classic and quite traditional.