Welcome one and all!
For a change I am writing this blog post from the warmth of our kitchen back in York, so this is a real treat. The sun is out on this crisp Yorkshire morning and we even had a tiny flurry of snow… Yes, it is still November but you can't help but feel a little festive. Remember, roughly 36 hours from now it will be socially acceptable to blast Mariah and Noddy out of your smart speaker.
I love being home with the family, 'he says as he stares longingly into Poppy the Golden Retriever's eyes' but it is probably the overactive part of my mind that makes me also crave the dramatic view out of the Distillery window across to the wild Outer Hebrides and north Atlantic; not long to wait and I'll be back bottling the latest batch. I think this will probably see us through the festive season and into the expected lull at the start of the new year, but then all you lovely folk may prove me wrong, and I'll be back at the still creating more of our stunningly smooth West Highland Dry Gin. It does make a fabulous Christmas present, if I do say so myself.
Since the last blog at the end of October, we have had a cracking month, both in terms of sales and also experiences. We managed to squeeze a frankly mental trip to Disneyland and Central Paris in during the October half term, the boys knew nothing about it so were completely wild. Returning to normality we were straight back into distilling, bottle making and festive planning for the upcoming events.
We have just about recovered from our first-ever fair/exhibition at White Syke Fields Winter in the Wheelhouse which was a roaring success. It was a pleasure to see so many people in awe of our bottle and delighted by how many people loved our gin. Not that I'm surprised, but then again you're always a little biased towards something you've taken so long to perfect.
The boost has given both myself and Katie the push we really needed to move onto bigger and more prominent events in the new year which we now can't wait to get our teeth into. The new show stand/bar was epic! Everyone seemed to really engage with the brand as a result, the investment in it was worthwhile and it will be forming the centrepiece of all of our show spaces going forward.
One of the things that kept coming up at the fair was "Your bottle is so beautiful I wouldn't want to get rid of it". My response was clear, that's the point! We don't want our customers to get rid of something that Katie has created; It's a piece of art in its own right. This gave me the perfect chance to tell them and I will tell you all now as well, about our NEW REFILLS! Shortly into the new year, we are aiming to launch our full 70cl refills that will come in a 100% recyclable aluminium bottle. We discussed pouches, but they just didn't sit right with us as they still contain plastic, we want to be able to use a product that has true eco credentials. Did you know that Aluminium is the third most abundant element in the earth's crust, after oxygen and silicon. It can be recycled infinitely. Sounds good to us!
Back to my original point, don't throw our bottles away, refill them!
Right, I need to get back to our festive offering for the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye on our socials as we are planning something exciting for our ginny friends and followers. Before I get back to being a social media officer, photographer, content writer, and order packer; I'll nip to the studio and make Katie a coffee as she's working hard fettling bottles in the warmth from the kiln. Poppy the moral manager needs a hug after being poorly all night and then I'm on it!
Hope you all have a productive Wednesday, I'll try to get back on to write a Christmas edition before the big day.
Miles and Katie x