Some of the most delightful aspects of London filtered down and around Britain’s coastal towns between the lockdowns and the new HQ for Fishers London Dry Gin is one of them.
A modern building for otherwise Victorian Aldeburgh, evocative of a millionaire’s Miami beach residence, the airy distillery is where you find copper still, Watson which takes the name of the the late beagle of founder, Andrew Heald, whose family also run the adjacent Brudenell hotel.
Heald created a gin which best captures the essence of plants growing naturally between the sea and salt marshes of the Shingle Spit, where tall spoonbills and Havergate hares thrive. Hence the alliance with botanist, James Firth who forages for rock samphire, wood avens and spignel. Visitors to the distillery are asked to grind then brew these along with the more traditional juniper and cardamom, into a botanical tea so as to best understand the aromatic payload informing the core trio of gins made here. My favourite is the Smoked version, whereby Heald sent base ingredients to the third generation Pinneys of Orford smokery. The result brings huge drama to a traditional Negroni or Moscow Mule.
However you take your gin, I recommend sitting at the mango wood table at the distillery, drinking it from a frozen teacup to keep it ‘as cold as the North sea’ advises Heald, looking out towards Holland with the low winter sun lapping the horizon.
