Published on July 28, 2023.
Mayfield Gin
As the legend says…
Mayfield Village is situated in East Sussex, the heartland of the traditional hop industry, which Mayfield Gin likes to celebrate with pride. There is a tale that the company bases its design and brand upon. The dramatic label on the bottle depicts the tale of St. Dunstan & The Devil. Saint Dunstan, as the story goes, was working in his smithy, when an old man appeared at his window and asked him to craft a chalice for him. St. Dunstan agreed and started working, but as he worked, the visitor began to change shape from an old man to a young boy and then a seductive woman but failing to hide his hoof, sticking out from under the dress. St. Dunstan realised his guest was The Devil in disguise. Pretending not to notice, he took his tongs and laid them in his holy fires, waiting until they were red-hot. Quickly pulling them from the fire and seizing the Devil by the nose. The Devil transformed and roared, before flying to nearby Tunbridge Wells to cool his nose in the river.
The Sussex hop comes from a single farm in East Sussex and is the key botanical that makes Mayfield Gin taste like no other. Sussex Hop was undiscovered until 2005, when it was found growing wild in local hedgerows. Peter Cyster discovered and they are now grown by a fifth generation hop farmer, based in East Sussex. The hop plants are given bones to grow up, throughout history, farmers have developed different methods of supporting bines. The hops are harvested every year in September for the next batch of Mayfield Gin! They harvest those hops and dry them in their Oast House
Mayfield Gin Master Maker & Blender J. Arthur Rackham came across the variety when researching local gin botanicals and discovered it added a unique citrus character to the gin. The 8 botanicals that go into the recipe are all naturally and ethically sourced, including Juniper Berries, Sussex Hop, Lemon Peel, Orange Peel, Coriander Seeds, Angelica, Orris & Liquorice. Every botanical is individually distilled in a 150-year-old copper pot still to a London Dry Method, with only the ‘heart’ of the distillate being used to ensure an incredibly smooth craft gin. After the resting period, each batch is tested to ensure the premium quality Mayfield Gin. The gin is then bottled, with each Mayfield Distilling Company product revealing a folklore tale from the village of Mayfield, East Sussex.
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About the author
Chloe Lewis
Chloe looks after all copywriting and proof-reading for Drink Warehouse UK, working with the Marketing team to deliver educational content to all our customers. She has spent many years in the hospitality sector, moving from behind the bar to now helping venues to stock their own. You can find more from Chloe about beer, cider, spirits, wine, non-alcoholic, soft drinks and RTDs all over our blogs, website, social media and Set The Bar magazine.
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