Cuckoo Solace Gin rose above 11 other highly rated gins from around the UK and the world, to take the title of Craft Gin Club’s ‘Gin of the Year 2021’.
Proudly distilled by Lancashire’s Brindle Distillery, the juniper-rich, mellow and soothing gin scored better feedback than any other craft gin sampled by members of the Craft Gin Club last year. Solace faced tough competition for the top title, as members were spoilt to an exclusive special edition bottle of the best craft gins from across the globe, effectively making it the best gin in the world for 2021.
Mark Long, Director and Master Distiller explains, ‘Solace Gin is designed to take you away to the Mediterranean whilst keeping true to the principles of what a refreshing G & T should be, and that’s juniper heavy! The recipe is a savoury combination of rosemary and lemon thyme from our farm, teamed with Nocellara and Cuquillo olives and lemon, with big hits of fresh grapefruit.’
When Cuckoo Gin was selected to feature in Craft Gin Club’s box for the month of May, however, choosing the best gin for the job, from the award-winning range, came down to more than just flavour. As well as giving the 100,000+ subscribers, real people who know their gins, a taste for what ‘Lancashire’s Finest’ gin brand had to offer, Solace had the potential to spread an extremely important message and ultimately, save lives. ‘We wanted to showcase Solace Gin to the Craft Gin Club community, to tell our brand story while raising awareness of the importance of cervical screenings,’ Mark explains.
In 2019, Mark’s wife, Liz – daughter to distillery owners, Gerard and Cath – was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cervical cancer. To show their appreciation for the support Liz received throughout her cancer journey, and to raise awareness and money for Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, Cuckoo Solace Gin was created. A percentage of proceeds from every bottle of Solace is donated to Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust. To show their support, Craft Gin Club made a donation of £10k, taking the total amount raised for the charity so far to almost £50k.
Mark continues, ‘Hopefully we can encourage more people to keep on top of screenings, just like Liz did. The money our customers and community have helped us raise goes towards supporting women and their families, who find themselves in similar circumstances to what we faced’. Since the launch of their first Cuckoo Signature Gin in 2017, the Cuckoo range has expanded and gone from strength to strength, winning highly coveted national and international awards for every gin they have produced at their distillery on Holmes Farm in Brindle. Situated in an old cow shed, the distillery itself has also seen huge developments and now offers tours, gin workshops and a bar with special events held throughout the year, employing over 20 people from the local area. Mark puts their success down to hard graft from the team and unwavering support from the local community.
‘We are delighted to have been voted the best, it’s a reflection of the hard work and dedication we have running throughout our team, who we are extremely proud of. Solace is our way of giving back, given the support we received throughout a really tough time in our lives, from those in the industry to our wonderful Cuckoo community.’ As well as raising awareness and money for a cause close to their hearts, the large order from Craft Gin Club afforded the business the opportunity to create their own unique bottle. Featuring a new shape, inspired by nature, the weight of the bottle has been reduced making it more eco-friendly and aligning even more closely with their brand principles. Without doubt, the attractive and tactile new bottle contributed to Solace Gin being named gin of the year, with the Craft Gin Club subscribers providing positive feedback on the bottle design and branding.
The distillery are confident that the Craft Gin Club success will have a positive impact on the continued efforts to raise the profile and reach of the Cuckoo Gin brand on national level, while raising more awareness and money for charity through sales of Cuckoo Solace Gin. Cuckoo Solace Gin and the entire Cuckoo Gin range can be purchased from Brindle Distillery’s online shop at brindledistillery.co.uk or direct from the distillery in Brindle, Near Chorley.