OUR STORY
Our families’ past has been woven into the fabric and history of Dartmouth and the surrounding area for centuries – shipwrights, master mariners, Brixham trawlermen. We have created a contemporary classic gin that reflects our maritime heritage, bearing the name of one of England’s most iconic harbours.
Caroline’s family, the Richardsons, built and operated sailing Brixham Trawlers up to the 1920s.
One of the brig schooners that the Richardsons built in Dartmouth, ‘Witch of the Waves,’ traded as far as the Caribbean and the Azores, bringing tropical fruits to Devon harbours. She is depicted in the watercolour opposite.
Lance’s Grandfather was Captain of the HMT Devonshire, whose home port was Dartmouth until the Second World War. Diplomats, civil servants, and troops would arrive by train at Kingswear, to board the Devonshire, and sail to their new lives in the Mediterranean, India, and Australia.
"Bold Juniper; floral notes from rosemary, lavender and citrus fruits. Grains of paradise, cardamom and cubeb berries bring lively spice followed by a lasting finish, with the sweetness of liquorice”
We create Dartmouth English Gin with the finest botanicals we can source from around the World, together with herbs, flowers and fruit from Dartmouth, and from the Calancombe Estate, where our distillery is located. The crystal clear fresh spring water, sourced at Calancombe, is an essential element of the gin we produce.
Dartmouth English Gin is smooth, full bodied and refreshing. It can be enjoyed on its own, is delightful with tonic and is the perfect foundation for a wide range of cocktails, where the gin’s complexity and balance provide the perfect serve.
“We have created a contemporary classic gin that reflects our maritime heritage, bearing the name of one of England’s most iconic harbours.”
OUR DISTILLERY
Our still was designed and hand-built specifically for The Dartmouth Distillery Co. by the Müller family, from the Black Forest in Germany, who have been making stills for generations. This unique copper pot-still is key to what makes our gin so special. Müller’s patented design gives us precise control throughout the production of our spirit to develop the fullest flavour and a remarkably smooth spirit.
OUR CARBON PROMISE
Dartmouth Distillery Co has installed 20kw of solar panels on the distillery roof and
established a partnership with Climeworks to offset the carbon footprint of our gin production.
Our use of solar energy and the contribution to Climeworks more than offset our CO2 emissions, so we are now a Carbon Negative producer. Click on their logo below to find out more. This Partnership, combined with our parent company’s planting of thousands of fruit trees, vines and fruit bushes at the Calancombe Estate is really helping the environment.
OUR BRANDING
The story behind our brand images.
In 1186 while King Edward 1st was visiting Dartmouth, to assess the harbour with a view to another invasion of France, he was petitioned by townsfolk for his support to build a church in what had become the heart of the town, on the banks for the River Dart. At the time the only church, St Clements, was at Townstal, over a mile away, up a steep track. Edward agreed and gave them a Royal Warrant to endorse their project.
However, the Bishop of Exeter and the Abbot of Torr, who would have to pay for construction and provide the clergy, refused to build a church. The ensuing struggle between the people of Dartmouth and the bishops continued for around 70 years, and the saga included an excommunication, the suicide of one of the Townstal priests, donation of land and unauthorised construction by locals, and a visit by mysterious visit by a friar, claiming to be an emissary from the Pope, bearing his approval for the church to be built, who turned out to be an imposter from Cambridge….
Eventually a church, now called St Saviours, was built. And, to commemorate King Edward’s support, the wrought ironwork on the West Door included 2 of his heraldic leopards, superimposed over the Tree of Life. This ancient icon of Dartmouth can be seen today. The date on the door, 1631, represented the restoration of the door after the first 260 years….
As a small boy, Lance was enthralled by the work, which then towered above him, and the impression lasted a lifetime, so when we reviewed options for imagery for Dartmouth English Gin, this was a natural choice.