Special festive gin created in Sheffield - which includes Henderson's Relish flavours!

The spirit is is here just in time for Christmas and is a limited release from Sheffield Dry Gin, part of the city-based True North company - the independent pub, bar, and restaurant group which has 12 venues across South Yorkshire and Derbyshire.

True North does not miss tricks like Christmas so has brought out the spiced fig and Victoria plum blend with perfect timing for the festive season. The gin has a combination of nutmeg and cinnamon with a fruity sweetness which sure packs some seasonal flavour. Think Christmas pudding and mulled wine. Add a dash of ginger ale and you’ll get rosy cheeks.

It is also part of something ground-breaking. Sheffield Dry Gin was the first gin to be distilled and bottled in the city in more than 100 years.

This follows the True North success story, started by managing director Kane Yeardley, who in 1992 bought an old, disused warehouse and turned it into one of the city’s most popular venues, The Forum.

True North, which is based on Devonshire Street in the city centre, began brewing beer in 2012 so distilling gin was a logical move, according the head brewer and distiller Dean Hollingworth. "Sheffield gin was a natural progression for us,” he says.

“We want to make great quality local produce and we felt like gin was the next thing we could make really well utilising flavours found in and around Sheffield.

"Gin is having its glory years again, and we wanted to bring the distilling of gin back to Sheffield so that our city had a gin to call their own and feel a connection with.””

Dean grew up in Sheffield and joined the company five years ago. He’s not keen on discussing things like his age and school, but has prospered regardless of having no formal training. He clearly loves his work and is passionate about it.

"I joined True North in 2016, originally just as head brewer,” Dean says. “I have always had an interest in distilling. So, when the opportunity arose to be able to distil gin alongside our brewing schedule, I jumped at the opportunity.

“I never really formally trained as a distiller, everything I’ve learnt has been on the job, which hasn’t worked out too bad if you ask me. I’ve been able to produce a wide variety of flavoured gin, as well as branch out into vodka and coffee roasting too.”

Experts say gin has been rising in popularity recently due to three main factors - the craft beer and spirits movement, its versatility and affordability.

Sometimes referred to as a gin-aissance, the trend has broken Scotland’s centuries long domination of spirit making. For the first time, more distilleries were operating in England than Scotland in 2018, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association.

Gin is now drunk and loved worldwide although it started off not so promisingly, causing mass drunkenness on arrival in England after originating as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe.

Eventually, it hit the cocktail lists where it has been ever since, with names like Beefeater and Gordon’s making London gin famous the world over.

So how does Sheffield gin compare to London, can we compete with it? Dean is optimistic. He says: “Sheffield dry gin, although a regional gin style actually shares a flavour profile with the London dry gin style, which isn’t geographical in style.”

“One of the production rules to be classified as a London dry gin is that all botanicals must be natural and as we use Henderson’s Relish as one of our botanicals we can’t call our gin a London dry.”

So gin has rules? They aren’t stopping this city, as Dean says: "Sheffield’s better though isn’t it? Our gin stands it’s ground against some of the best London dry gins.”

The city has a fine brewing heritage with Ward’s and Stones. The aim is for the gin to match it. Dean says: “Sheffield has a rich heritage of making quality products and for being creative.

"Everything Sheffield puts it’s hand to it does it well. Gin is no exception. Don’t forget there are other distilleries creating amazing gins in Sheffield like Locksley and Hawkins.”

Locksley is based in Portland Works, Highfield, and the website shares Dean’s enthusiasm. “Our mission is to inspire people to invest in real and fair products by creating beautiful and delicious beverages,” it says. “We may never be the biggest distillery, but we will always aspire to be the best.”

The company is proud of the Sir Robin of Locksley gin, as the website says: “Locally sourced organic, natural botanicals, inspired by ingredients grown in the forest years ago, are amalgamated perfectly, resulting in blend number sixty-one.”

Hawkins, based just off the Parkway in Greenland, produces Bryn’s Gin and is equally upbeat. “We are a family-run distillery based in Sheffield. Harnessing the city's heritage in making world-beating products we are focused on making the absolute best gins we can.

"Our distiller handcrafts each batch of gin with the utmost care and attention to detail to every stage of the process.”

It adds: “Our small batch process uses a blend of techniques to impart flavour using our expertise based on the creation at hand. Bryn's Gin – our first gin - is created using vapour infusion to keep the delicate botanical notes intact.”

So how is Sheffield gin viewed by rivals? It sounds like True North is part of a city gin scene. Dean says: “We are part of the ever growing gin scene in Sheffield, supplying all our gin flavours to every True North venue as well as other independent shops and bars across the city, so we have quite a large presence within the city.

“We have gin menus within our venues that showcase each gin and we like to produce cocktail recipes with every gin we release. Have you tried our Figgy Pudding cocktail?”

Not yet, but there’s plenty of time until Christmas. Which might give us a chance for a distillery tour. “We run the Sheffield School of Gin once a month, taking place above our distillery,” says Dean.

"During this four-hour experience, guests learn about the history of gin and the distilling process, all while distilling their own 20cl bottle of flavoured gin.”

The distillation process involves a pot still called Elsie, a handmade copper still imported from Portugal. Dean says: “To create our gin we start with the best quality neutral grain spirit and our core botanicals mainly comprising of juniper, gentian, coriander seed, angelica, cassia, grapefruit peel, Hendo's, Sheffield honey, fennel and cardamon.”

No wonder it is so flavoursome. “The botanicals are steeped in the neutral grain spirit for a day to infuse into the alcohol and then we fire up Elsie,” says Dean.

"Our pot still heats up the botanicals and grain spirit. Taking it back to school, we perform fractional distillation cutting out fractions that we don't want and saving the best bits.

“Once Elsie has worked her magic we end up with a glorious gin of around 80% alcohol by volume. We cut this spirit with Peak District water down to 42% and voila we have Sheffield dry gin.

“All in all the process takes us around two to three days but we feel it's worth the wait.”

Of the limited edition spiced fig and Victoria plum gin, Dean says: “It is a unique blend of warm nutmeg and spiced cinnamon with a fruity sweetness that drenches the palate in flavour.

"It’s a really special gin to enjoy in the winter months as it instantly conjures up warm winter memories, especially when the weather is as cold outside as it was at the weekend, where else would you want to be other than sitting cosy in front of a fire, sipping on a delicious winter tipple to warm the cockles, and reminiscing on fond wintertime memories?”

Blimey, not only can Dean distil, he can market what he distils. True North’s senior marketing executive Nicky Geraghty approves, adding: “We’re so excited to be bringing back our popular spiced fig and Victoria plum gin!

"It really is the ideal winter warmer for the colder months and a great accompaniment to those long overdue catch ups leading up to Christmas.”

The limited edition compliments the company’s core range of premium gins, including moorland berries, original Sheffield dry, marmalade, raspberry and pomegranate and strawberry and black pepper.

True North recently acquired Leeds gin, which it describes as a no-nonsense, straight-talking gin. It says since the deal, Leeds gin has undergone a reinvigoration of the brand from ingredients to design, to create a proper premium gin.

So what is next? Nicky says: “We’re all about creating great products from the distillery, brewery and coffee roastery. We’re working on our in house roast for our venues and also Dean is planning our seasonal gin schedule so look out for those in the pubs.”

Those pubs include the Broadfield in Nether Edge, the Waggon and Horses in Millhouses and the Punch Bowl in Crookes. The range and reputation of the beers have grown over time and True North’s core range includes the pale ale Polaris, Sheffield pilsner, Blonde – another pale ale and Best Bitter.

All successes at a time when pubs have faced almost impossible odds. It’s a remarkable success story and we can all drink to that.

Spiced fig and Victoria plum Sheffield dry gin is available for £38 from www.truenorthbrewco.uk/product-page/sheffield-dry-gin-spiced-fig-victoria-plum-70cl and to view the company’s Christmas offers visit www.truenorthbrewco.uk/store?Collection=Christmas+Gifts+2021