"Made the long way round"
It sounds a touch grand, but what we mean is that we tend to choose the slower, more ingredient-heavy, explore-and-taste-test-a-hundred-times route when we think it will lead to something more delicious. That instinct comes directly from our years as chefs, where you learn very quickly that fresh ingredients behave differently, small adjustments matter, and “good enough” is almost never as satisfying as getting something properly balanced.
Our first gin, Falmouth Dry, is probably the best example. We spent 63 recipe iterations trying to capture the smell of home: green fennel, lemon peel, salty air and the unmistakable scent of rock samphire gathered from the coastline around Falmouth. We could have stopped much earlier, but the final version had exactly the savoury, coastal character we were chasing, and we’re very glad we kept going!
That same approach runs through everything we make. We ferment our own rum from raw molasses rather than buying in a ready-made base spirit, we work with fresh, seasonal and foraged ingredients whenever we can, and our limited editions often begin as shelves of slightly chaotic tinctures and half-labelled experiments in the recipe kitchen before they become bottles that earn their place on the table.
A good example of this philosophy is the way we work with delicate ingredients such as fresh blossom, herbs and flowers.
Over time, we’ve found that the best way to capture those fleeting aromas is to distil them separately in very small batches, often on the same day they’re picked. These short distillations allow us to preserve the freshest, brightest notes without cooking them into oblivion.
Those individual distillates are then blended back into the main spirit, which is left to rest for 10 to 14 days. During that time, the sharper edges soften, the flavours settle, and everything begins to knit together into something more balanced and harmonious.
It is undeniably a more fiddly way of working, but it allows us to capture flavours that would otherwise be lost and gives our spirits the vivid, natural character we’re always chasing.
You didn't think we'd stop at production!? We hand-finish labels, pack every order ourselves, write notes by hand and spend a probably disproportionate amount of time thinking about how each bottle is best served, because (this is a hill we'll die on) the garnish, the glass and the occasion all shape the experience as much as the liquid itself.
None of this is about being worthy for the sake of it, and it certainly isn’t about making life more difficult than it needs to be. We just find that taking the scenic route tends to produce better flavour, more character and bottles that feel a little more generous and considered when they arrive at your door.
In practice, “made the long way round” means distilling everything ourselves in Falmouth, using real ingredients and giving recipes the time they need. It means resisting shortcuts when they compromise flavour, and paying close attention to the finishing touches that make opening a bottle feel like a small occasion.
We like to think the result is worth it. A good drink has a way of turning an ordinary Thursday after work into something darn good!
