Grain-to-glass distilling with Ramsbury Gin

The Ramsbury Distillery sits at the heart of the Ramsbury Estate in Wiltshire, England. SB recently travelled to the site to find out more about the brand’s grain-to-glass approach.

Ramsbury produces gin, vodka and beers using grains grown on its site

The Ramsbury Estate spans 19,000 acres in the heart of the Kennet Valley, Wiltshire, and at its heart lies the Ramsbury Distillery and Brewery. Here, the brand produces its single estate gin and vodka, as well as a range of traditional ale and craft beers from grains grown on the estate.

Last month, The Spirits Business hopped on a train to the Wiltshire countryside to find out more about the brand’s farming and distilling practices.

Click through our gallery to find out what SB got up to at the Ramsbury Estate. 

After leaving London for the English countryside, SB arrived at The Bell – Ramsbury’s pub in the heart of its namesake estate.

Here, after a breakfast of bacon and sausages made using pork reared on the estate, SB‘s ride for the day arrived – an ex-military truck that could tackle any terrain.

A drive around the estate came next, offering a chance for the visiting journalists to learn more about the different grains and crops grown on the land – including barley, rye and rapeseed.

The first stop of the day involved clay pigeon shooting, and after hitting our second ever clay, our luck soon diminished and after countless rounds we came away having struck just four. Probably best if we stick to writing.

Then it was back in the van for a drive around the rest of the estate. Ramsbury was used as a base for the US air force during the Second World War, and as a result has a number of bunkers dotted around the site. These sadly weren’t very photogenic so instead the group travelled on to visit the estate’s parcel of pigs.

Ramsbury feeds its pigs on spent grain from the brewery and distillery, and after a happy life roaming the estate’s field the animals are used in charcuterie and other meat products served up at The Bell.

After finding out about the work that goes on at its farms, it was time to visit the Ramsbury Distillery.

Everything from the estate is used in the production of its liquid, which is distilled in a 43-plate copper column still. Ramsbury produces its gin and vodka using horatio wheat, and flavours its gin with botanicals including juniper, fresh quince, cinnamon, liquorice, oris root, coriander, dried lemon peel, dried orange peel, angelica. The brand also produces a seasonal damson liqueur.

Sustainability lies at the heart of the Rasmbury Distillery, and as well as using its spent grain to feed livestock, the brand uses heat generated by a biomass boiler fed by its own sustainably managed woodland.

Waste water from the distillery also passes through a reed bed system, where it is cleaned by the plants and bacteria that thrive there.

After touring the estate and learning all there is to know about the brewery and distillery, SB headed back to The Bell for a dinner that showcased the estate’s produce and the talent of head chef Oly Clarke.

The assembled journalists were treated to delicious dishes including Ramsbury Gin cured salmon, Cornish turbot and honeycomb iced parfait – polished off with a Ramsbury Gin Martini.