The Speight family distillery is in Northowram's Shibden Valley. It's in Peter Speight's shed under a horse chestnut tree. Here, they make sp8 gin on a small scale. They use a copper pot still named Barbra. The distillery is in a colourful, flowery place. This helps make a gin full of floral tastes.
Making Sp8 Gin's Floral Taste
Sp8 gin gets its floral taste from a secret mix of 12 botanicals. The Speight family carefully picks and keeps these botanicals a secret. The main one is Juniper. It mixes with hibiscus, elderberry, rose petal, wild rosehip, bilberries, and rhubarb. This mix tastes like a warm, fragrant summer garden.
Peter Speight leads the making of the gin. He loves quality and uses local, natural ingredients. He makes the gin blends himself. His wife Angela and daughter Victoria help him test the flavours. They choose the tonics and extra flavours that make the gin smell good.
Family Passion in the Distillery
The distillery looks professional. But it's also full of family passion and dedication. They care a lot about how they make the gin. They also respect the nature around them. Each bottle of sp8 gin captures the feel of summer.
The copper still, Barbra, is named after Peter’s late mother. This keeps her memory alive in every bottle of gin they make.
Thinking About New Ideas
The Speights want to add more to their distillery. They think about offering tours, tastings, and gin-making classes. Peter also wants to mix his gin-making with cooking. He thinks about adding his honey roast hams to their gin.
Trying New Gin Types
After making their Signature Gin, they tried new ideas for 18 months. They used different botanicals. Head Distiller Danny led this work. They made fruit gins with flavours like rhubarb, bilberry, and huckleberry. Each one needed a special recipe. They are now working on a pear flavour.
Awards for Their Gin
Their hard work has won awards. Their Rhubarb Gin got ‘Highly Commended’. Their Signature Gin was ‘Best Distilled Gin’ at the 2020 Gin Guide Awards. These awards show the quality of the Speights' gin.
In short, Speight's distillery may be small, but it has a lot of passion. They focus on artisan quality and local, natural ingredients. Their gin is more than a drink. It shows the family's spirit. It's a celebration of nature and a promise of quality and flavour exploration.