We launch Reliquum London Dry Gin
Every year 10-16% of fruit and vegetables grown on UK farms is wasted - that’s 22,000-37,000 tones and enough to feed 200,000 people*. Pete Thompson is determined to create a more sustainable way of farming, finding new uses for the apples, pears, apricots and plums grown but which haven’t made the grade required by retailers.
Thompson has launched RELIQUUM LONDON DRY GIN which uses an eau de vie made from apples grown in the farm’s orchards which would otherwise go to waste. Botanicals include Calamondin an unusual citrus fruit which is also grown on the farm The result is an exceptionally smooth citrusy gin and mellowed with the floral sweetness of apple which is made in partnership with Master Distiller, Dr John Walters from the English Spirit Distillery.
The name Reliquum comes from Latin and means “All that remains”.
Two other spirits join the Reliquum range: RELIQUUM PLUM a sophisticated spirit of London Dry Gin blended with Lizzie plums to produce a bright sharp spirit with an almond after-taste; and RELIQUUM APRICOT which blends London Dry with tree-ripened apricots for a smooth taste with the distinct aroma of ripe apricots. The fruit is grown in traditional orchards and left to naturally ripen to develop the fullest flavour. Nothing else is added and nothing taken away.
Pete Thompson says: “We are very proud of this London Dry Gin, but it is only the first step in our journey towards creating a genuine single estate gin, using ingredients entirely sourced from the fields and orchards of our farm, here in Great Oakley on the north eastern tip of coastal Essex.”
Master Distiller, Dr John Walters of the English Spirit Distillery says: “"We pride ourselves on producing the best spirits anywhere in the country and this means partnering with the best growers. We are delighted to work alongside Thompson's and develop their world class product.”
Reliquum is available in a handful of bars and restaurants in Essex to check our current stockists visit our website. We are actively looking for new stockists in retail and hospitality please contact info@reliquum.uk for more information.
English Spirit are the UK's most experienced small batch distillers. Founded by Dr John Walters (a former biochemist) in 2011, they have gone from being one of the UK's first small batch distilleries to producing the world's widest variety of spirits and liqueurs distilled under one roof. Their products have received over 100 international awards to date, and are loved by spirit connoisseurs all over the land.
All of their spirits are distilled entirely from scratch, with no spirit bought in from elsewhere. Only fresh ingredients are used in the distillation process, and each product is made in one of their twenty small 200 litre copper pot stills. Every aspect of production is tightly controlled, meaning that the bottled end product has smoothness, depth and complexity of flavour that can't be found in any other spirit. With 10,000+ hours spent at the stills, Dr John and the team have had a lot of practice; making them true masters of their craft. They were one of the first small batch distilleries in the UK to distil vodka, the first to distil rum (and still one of the only distilleries to do so), and currently the only ones to distil English sambuca and Cucumber Spirit, a world first.
The distillery at Great Yeldham Hall, Essex, is housed in a 200 year old barn, to which which Dr John and the team encourage anyone that would like to visit and see things for themselves. Celebrating English heritage and provenance are an important part of everything English Spirit do - from the ingredients used in products to the environment in which they are made.
* Source Report from waste reduction charity WRAP (The Waste and Resources Action Programme).