Here at Bowood, we’re delighted to launch our very own Gin using ingredients sourced from the Bowood Estate’s expansive grounds. Bowood Botanicals offers our hotel guests and visitors a unique opportunity to ‘taste their surroundings’, with many of the ingredients having been handpicked from our 2,000-acre estate, while others have been taken from the Private Walled Gardens at Bowood House.
The ingredients sourced directly from the estate include coriander, bergamot, rosemary, lavender, blackcurrant leaf, and spearmint, while the rose petals have been picked from the rose bushes on the Bowood House terraces, as well as from bushes within the walled gardens.
Find out more about our very own Gin Journey below…
Our vision and Gin’spiration was to create a delicious craft Gin that perfectly represented the beautiful grounds of Bowood and the surrounding Wiltshire countryside. Introduced as a way for guests to experience Bowood through the senses, our brand new Gin offers the unique opportunity to smell and taste our magnificent and historic woodland and grounds.
Reflecting the hotel’s sustainable ethos, which champions local ingredients, the partnership with a local distiller (Hawkridge Distillers) was essential in order to produce a Gin that we can be proud of and that truly embodies the Bowood spirit.
With so much choice, we finally sourced six botanicals all grown or produced on the Bowood Estate, from quintessentially British rose petals to delicate lavender and honey from the busy bees that live on the grounds.
The Bowood Estate grows its own coriander, bergamot, rosemary, lavender, blackcurrant leaf, and spearmint – all of which are used in the Gin. The rose petals used are grown on the Bowood House terraces and Private Walled Gardens – a 4-acre space containing a picking garden, working greenhouses, and a kitchen garden full of fruits and vegetables. While the honey used in the refreshing and fruity tipple is also made directly from the Bowood Bees, which have hives located in the Private Walled Garden.
Once the botanicals were selected, it was time for the hard work to begin. The expert team at Hawkridge Distillers created the Gin using a three-stage distilling process. Including a five-day tea creation, certain botanicals are steeped in pure spirit and then strained so that only the liquid is used within the still.
A steep then goes into the still before a basket infusion is used with the more delicate botanicals such as rose petals, which pass the steam through to capture the delicate flavour profiles.
A traditional Victorian tea distilling method is used to create the Gin which is a time-consuming process, however, this process produces a silky-smooth liquid that feels as though it’s being absorbed straight into your tongue, enhancing the overall drinking experience.
We hope everyone that is lucky enough to taste it, loves it as much as we do!
Once the Gin was created, the next step in the journey was definitely the most fun!
Gin Tasting.
The ‘Bowood Gin Team’ spent a delicious afternoon testing the different variations of the Gin, before deciding on the perfect blend, with the perfect accompaniment – Grapefruit and Mediterranean Tonic.
Bowood Botanicals Gin was born.
We are so excited to be able to share “little pieces of Bowood” with our guests. The Bowood Botanicals Gin allows our visitors and guests to experience Bowood through the senses. The Gin offers the unique opportunity to smell and taste the magnificent and historic woodland and grounds within which the hotel sits.
The finished product is a unique Gin that gives off early citrus notes on the palate, before giving way to a juniper heart and heady floral tones – all smoothed with honey.
We recommend Bowood Botanicals with a delicious Mediterranean Tonic, a slice of Grapefruit, and plenty of ice.
Cheers!
You can now purchase your very own bottle of Bowood Botanicals London Dry Gin to enjoy at home. Pick up a bottle from Hotel Reception for just £45.00. We think it will make the perfect Gift!
Or of course, enjoy a glass when visiting Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort. We’ll see you at The Shelburne Bar.
