A 'one man band' distillery has won two gold medals after competing up against some of the biggest distilleries in the world.

In the space of just one week Abingdon Distillery, owned by Jordan Morris, won two gold medals for its original gins.

Mr Morris' Port Barrel-Aged Gin took a gold medal at The Gin Masters 2021 awards and his inaugural release from the distillery's Cask Series has won a gold medal from the IWSC.

Due to the spirits' global popularity Mr Morris realised he would have to create something a bit different to stand out.

He said: “The gin market is quite saturated, there is a lot of fruit stuff going on. The supermarket aisle for gin is bigger than the bread aisle. You have to do something different."

Mr Morris decided to investigate starting a cask ageing programme which involves finishing gin in different barrels previously used for rum, wine or whisky.

He imported barrels from across Europe and used his London Dry gin as a starting point and loved the results. He said: “One gin goes into three different barrels and three gins come out at the end. It is remarkable.”

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One barrel was used for single malt whisky, another was previously used for port in Portugal, and another was a Madeira wine cask.

The results were producing award winning gins.

Oxford Mail: Abingdon Distillery

Mr Morris said: “I was up against some of the biggest distilleries in the world. I was quite overwhelmed by it; I was not expecting it at all.”

However, Mr Morris said he has had a journey with highs and lows during the pandemic. Bars and pubs that stock the local spirits closed and he became reliant on the retail side of his business.

Mr Morris looked to the positives and used his spare time to experiment with his gins and rebrand the products.

Although Mr Morris currently refers to Abingdon Distillery as a 'one man band' run from his own home, he is looking for a larger unit to sell, make and even run a gin making school out of.

The distillery is not open to the public and currently Abingdon gin can be found at Loose Cannon Brewery in Abingdon.

Mr Morris said there is plenty to look forward to this summer. The Abingdon Distillery will be at Oxford's Foodies Festival on August Bank Holiday and at St Albans pub in the park in September.

The distillery will also be at events with Loose Cannon brewery and at some gin tastings this summer.

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