Aval Dor Cornish Sloe Gin

Local residents gathered the sloes for the 2025 batch of Aval Dor Cornish Sloe GinSloe ginA liqueur made by steeping sloe berries in gin, then sweetening it. It is usually bottled between 25% and 30% ABV.GlossarySee Sloe gin gins. After a call for hedgerow fruit in early September, pickers delivered 170 kg in a single week. This limited batch is part of the Aval Dor range made by Colwith Farm Distillery at Lanlivery in Cornwall.

Citrus · Limited Edition · Fruity

Pine-like juniper and citrus open the tasting, followed by the fruit's rich, plum-like character. Subtle spice and root notes accompany it, giving depth to the rounded palate. Sloes are tart hedgerow berries, and a trace of that sharpness keeps the plum-like richness lively rather than jammy, balanced by a gentle sweetness. The texture is smooth, with little alcoholic heat, and the dark fruit stays on the palate well after each sip.

For the 2025 batch, 116 kg of the gathered sloes were steeped in Aval Dor Dry GinDry ginGin with no perceptible sweetness: in the European Union, the word "dry" allows at most 0.1 g of sugar per litre.GlossarySee Dry gin gins at 55.5% ABV. Using the farm's own Dry Gin as the base means the juniper of the Aval Dor range carries into the sloe gin. Homemade English sugar syrup rounds out the 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, which is hand-bottled at 25% ABV. The range is made on a fifth-generation family farm, with traditional alembicPot stillA traditional still, often copper, that distils in batches. It keeps more texture and character than a column.Glossary pot stills used to distil its gins.

For a Cornish Sloe on Ice, put ice in a small tumblerRocks glassA short, heavy glass (tumbler) for a spirit over a large ice cube or a short cocktail.Glossary and pour in 4 cl of the sloe gin. Place fresh sloes in a small dish beside the glass. Served without a mixer or tonic, the drink keeps the attention on the Cornish fruit. A small tumbler keeps the pour compact, with enough room for the ice. As the ice melts, it lightens the sweetness and makes the glass fresher, while the berries beside it show the hedgerow fruit the gin is made from. Sipped slowly and well chilled, it makes a short after-dinner drink.