By my own admission I’ve always been a whisky kinda lady.

Then Mum got cancer…

We would have our girlie afternoons , sit and sip coffee together, chit-chat about everything and nothing. On occasion the coffee would be substituted by a large Gin and Tonic.

I didn’t really like Gin back then, I didn’t hate it either … I just didn’t dabble. It sounds daft but drinking it together made me feel even closer to her … like we were bonding over her favourite tipple.

Mum absolutely loved the stuff . I always joked she was 85% G&T. In fact one of her last wishes while she was in palliative care was to have a ‘Gin and Cake‘ party with her friends. The doctors took her off her medication and her wish became a reality. Despite the awful circumstances it was a truly magical afternoon.

I guess that period is where and when I found a new appreciation for Gin and why I now have a rather lovely collection adorning my drinks cabinet. Sipping on a G&T also makes me think of my Mum … an awfully good reason to drink it in my books.

You can therefore imagine my excitement when I received an invite to attend a Press Event at Locksley Distilling

The ‘Gin Experience‘ was last night and I’m going to share it with you .

Follow me …

Locksley Distilling is located within Portland Works, a grade 2 listed building just off Bramall Lane, Sheffield.

Portland Works opened in 1879 and is the home of stainless steel; something Sheffield is ‘renowned’ for. In 2015 it also became home to the Locksley Distilling.

It was a truly horrendous evening weather wise but we [ M and I ] luckily got dropped off right outside. Much to the amusement of Joe … [our host] … my dad dropped us off.

The Gin Experience takes place:

• Friday – 7pm
• Saturday – 2pm and 7pm
• Sunday – 2pm

Costed at £95.00 per person the tour lasts around 3 hours .

Last night there were just the 4 of us. M and I and 2 lovely ladies from ‘Now Then’ Magazine. They can cater for up-to 8 people at any one time.

It includes the following :

Welcome drink and further drinks throughout the evening. I think we had around 3 or 4 full size Gins each which didn’t include the taster shots we also sampled. Leave your cars at home folks !

Guided tour of the Distillery which includes a talk outlining the history of Locksley Gin and Gin in general. As it’s a listed building some of the walkways are a little uneven in places and there are some precarious steps to climb . Sensible shoes are a must.

Tasting session where we sampled various shot size drinks – neat.

Gin School – the chance to be creative and concoct your own unique recipe using the vast range of botanicals in front of you.

You then get to take the 70cl of YOUR Gin home with you. How cool is that?

I don’t want to go into it chapter and verse; because if you do go I want you to to experience it for yourself with ‘fresh eyes’ . However I will say the highlight of the night for me was getting to distill our own Gin.

The Gin room reminded me of some mad professors laboratory I’d seen on a black and white movie . The top of the stills looked like Darlecks heads and as it’s a listed building there is a lot of exposed brickwork, which only added to its character. [ I’ve not been drinking !] It’s fabulous.

All the ingredients used to make your Gin is recorded. It helps to ascertain trends but also lets say your Gin tasted delicious and you wanted further bottles … Locksley Gin would be-able to replicate it for you using these details. Genius idea.

While mine tasted ok I doubt I’ll be using that service … or winning any awards any time soon !

My finished Gin [ below] in all its glory …

It is a really fun, informative evening, something a little different. I whole heartedly recommend it.

Joe who I mentioned previously was a great guide / host . He is friendly and really knows his stuff. We threw lots of questions at him that he had no problem answering. Even some of the stupid ones I asked! I really wish I would think before I speak.

Gin lover or not I’m sure it’s an experience most people would enjoy.

I left feeling slightly squiffy , proudly clutching onto my bottle like she was my first born and cuddling everyone in sight.

To enquire or book // HERE

Tracey

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• The Gin Experience was kindly gifted to me by Locksley Distillery , but as always all words and opinions are strictly my own