Adnams wakes up sleepy Southwold

Southwold in Suffolk doesn’t come across as the sort of place where you’d expect to find innovation and invention, especially in the cut and thrust industry that is the British hospitality trade.

It’s a sleepy, distinctly middle class seaside resort, with a High Street packed with independent small retailers, quaint tea rooms and stylish gastro-pubs. It’s quintessentially English, with a whiff of Victorian elitism. And right in the heart of it is the Sole Bay Brewery, home to one ofBritain’s finest beer makers, Adnams. And it’s here that a group of skilled engineers are turning the world of spirits on its head.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised – after all, the brewery has been here for more than 100 years and is thriving at a time when other middle sized breweries are being squeezed by the big producers with their economies of scale on the one hand, and by the smaller micro-brewers with their tax breaks on the other. A glance at the range of bottles in reception gives a clue as to why. Here Jonathan Adnams and his team respect tradition and heritage, and continue to make fine, traditional premium ales. But the brewery has about 90 beer recipes at its disposal in its state-of-the-art brewery, and isn’t scared to try something new.

Which brings us to the Copper House Distillery.

In the February issue of the Spirits Business I wrote about the new gins and vodkas which the brewery is now producing. But it takes a visit to Southwold to fully appreciate the size of the distilling operation here, and to appreciate the team’s commitment to it.

There are standard spirits here. Vodka, yes; gin, yes – but beautiful soft and rounded premium versions made from the finest ingredients from grain to the glass and with no industrial spirit at their core. Twist distiller John McCarthy’s arm, though, and he might let you in to a secret or two…

Down in the distillery cellars among the new European oak casks and some ex bourbon ones, there are one or two spirits drinks which look set to break new ground.

There are two absinthes, for instance, one a fairly standard looking green one but the other a fierce liquorice and anise fiery red concoction that turns a delightful lilac colour when water is added.

There’sSuffolkapple brandy, made with local apples and capable of giving the finest Calvados a run for its money. There’s English brandy, made using local English wine. And best of all, there are two grain based products which are going to take grain spirit into new areas.

The first is a triple single malt whisky – that is, a malt whisky from one distillery but using three malted grains – barley, wheat and oats. There is nothing quite like it elsewhere – the dominant grain is wheat and not barley, so it has totally different grist make up to American bourbons – and the brewery is yet to name it.

And then there’s a new spirit, distilled from the brewery’s popular beer Broadside, and a fruity, soft, very more-ish spirit currently stored at 63% but set to be sold at 43%. Because the spirit has hops in it and has not been matured for three years, it is not whisky. So the distillery will call it Broadside Eau de Vie de Beer.

Expect more in the future – according to John McCarthy, experimentation is ongoing.

“I have a cupboard where I keep my experiments,” he says. “There have been lots of failures. But how many people come to work and get to do something like this. It’s great.”

So are the drinks. Adnams is a welcome and worthy addition toEngland’s burgeoning distilling business.