Shed One Springwaite Gin

A feature film set the brief for this gin. Springwaite is an independent film by Shy Bairn Films, shot in 2025 in the North East of England and in Cumbria, and Shed One Distillery in Ulverston created a gin to offer a flavour of the region where it was made. Ulverston, the Cumbrian market town where the distillery is based, lies between the Lake District fells and Morecambe Bay.

Dry · Spicy · Floral · Herbal

The recipe mixes traditional botanicals with locally grown ones, including grains of paradiseGrains of paradiseWest African seeds related to cardamom, also called melegueta pepper: peppery and warm, with a citrus note.Glossary, linden flower, gorse and heatherHeatherA small flower of the Scottish moors, honeyed and slightly woody.Glossary. Each brings a piece of the northern landscape: gorse flowersGorseA spiny heathland shrub whose yellow flowers smell of coconut.Glossary, which cover the hills in yellow, have a light coconut and vanilla scent; linden flower adds a soft honeyed note; heather gives a dry, moorland character; and grains of paradise, a West African spice related to cardamom, bring a peppery warmth. Juniper, as in every gin, keeps the frame.

Shed One's method is distinctive. The distillery starts with a complete compound ginCompound ginGin made without redistillation, by blending botanicals or extracts into neutral spirit.GlossarySee Compound gin gins, filters it, then distils it again in a traditional-style pot stillPot stillA traditional still, often copper, that distils in batches. It keeps more texture and character than a column.Glossary. That redistillation carries the flowers and spices into the spirit itself rather than leaving them as an infusionInfusionFruit or plants are steeped in the spirit to release their flavour. Done after distillation, infusion often adds colour too, and the gin can no longer be called London Dry.Glossary. Offered at 39.5% ABV in 70 cl, Springwaite Gin won a Silver medal in the Contemporary Style category of the World Gin Awards in 2025, a category that rewards gins where juniper stays present while other botanicals lead.

A floral, gently spiced gin like this needs a mixer that stays in the background. A light tonicLight tonicA low- or no-sugar tonic, often sweetened with substitutes. Drier, it brings out the bitterness and the gin.Glossary keeps the gorse and linden visible, while plenty of ice holds the pepper of the grains of paradise in check. A twist of lemonTwistA strip of peel twisted over the glass to release its oils, then dropped into the drink.Glossary adds freshness without covering the flowers, and a small sprig of heather, if available, recalls the moorland behind the recipe.