In December, WeBlogger members had an exclusive invite to the Manchester Three Rivers Gin Tour at their distillery, for a showcase of how their gin is made, as well as a chance to sample and even make their own gin...Lucky huh?!
Lovely WeBlogger Kat Horrocks, kindly wrote-up the experience for us. (There'll be plenty more events like this for members in 2018, so keep your eyes peeled)...
Manchester Three Rivers Gin Tour
It’s not my usual Tuesday, sat at a bar being topped up with as many G&T’s as I can drink! But what a fabulous Tuesday it was thanks to Manchester Three Rivers Gin and WeBlogNorth.
At the time of writing, their Gin Experience is #5 in the Top Things to Do in Manchester on Trip Advisor. And coming away feeling like I’d had the funnest history (and chemistry!) lesson ever, I can see why.
Dave Rigby has so much passion for the heritage of Manchester and his craft of distilling, it really showed in his enthusiasm for our community’s culture, and the way he’s created a gin that is distinctly tied to the city’s roots. I don’t want to give too much away, because you must visit to hear the story - but it left me beaming with pride to be from Manchester.
We learnt all about the history of gin itself - that’s one history lesson I was interested in! And of course, the fact their perfect serve Three Rivers G&T is on tap whilst you hear about it - well let’s just say, even if you weren’t a history buff, you’d still be having a great time!
(FYI - their perfect serve is garnished with Apricots & Rosemary for the Autumn/Winter months, fresh Cherries in Spring/Summer! Yum!)
Once we were all clued up on the origins of Three Rivers Gin, we got to go downstairs and see Angel - the copper distiller they have on the premises, where all the magic happens! As a bit of a gin newbie, it was so fascinating to learn the craft, precision and art that goes into making their product. It’s the attention to detail that sets small batch gin apart from the mass produced brands many of us are used to. And you can really taste it in the gin - literally, we sipped it straight (something I would never usually do) and there wasn’t a burn or wince in sight.
After feeling suitably inspired by the whole process, it’s back upstairs to the mini distillers to create our very own gin. Selecting our bespoke botanicals, from florals to herbs and spices, we hand mixed our own blend. I went for elderflower, rose, lemon and almonds, and the end result was a really subtle almost herbal tea scent. As we wait for our mini distillers to work their magic, we were topped up with delicious gin cocktails. Once you’ve watched your custom botanicals be infused and incorporated into the gin, you get to bottle it up, add your own Three Rivers label and take it home. I’m enjoying mine as I type this!
The Manchester Three Rivers Gin Experience would be ideal for Work Parties or outings, special occasions, a very special gift for gin lovers, or even just a fun evening out with friends doing something way out of the ordinary! You get the whole experience mentioned, your custom gin to take home, and of course plenty of drinks to fuel your evening. You won’t be thirsty, let’s just say that.
Their hand crafted, premium small batch gin is stocked in Harvey Nics and other select retailers.
