A brewery in Wimbledon has launched a locally made gin that is winning international awards.
Wimbledon Garden Gin made by Wimbledon Brewery won the gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2021, as well as the International Gin Masters 2020 gold medal.
The brewery was originally born in Wimbledon village by William Cook in 1832 but a fire in 1889 burnt down equipment buildings and ended the business.
Wimbledon Brewery was then reborn in 2015 after Mark Gordon decided to bring the brand back into the 21st century and start a pilgrimage to produce premium cask ale, beer and wine.
Founder Mark Gordon said: “We don’t mess around, we don’t put anything out we’re not 100% comfortable with, it’s that attention to detail that makes the difference and working with the right people.
“I partnered with our master Brewer, Derek Prentice, who’s been brewing for all 50 odd years now since he was 17.
“We developed a recipe for something very local, and sure enough, we’ve won quite a few gold awards now.
“Being in Wimbledon helps, it carries internationally and nationally, you’ve got something there that’s quintessentially English.”
Gordon lived in Wimbledon for over 20 years and is proud and passionate about producing his products in his hometown.
With hard work he has grown the business from beers to wagyu burgers, feeding cattle his creations and collaborating with Greyfriars, the closest vineyard to Wimbledon.
Now his focus is spreading the word of Wimbledon Garden gin.
Gordon said: “With our gin, we wanted something purely local.
“We use Wimbledon honey out of the gardens of Wimbledon.
“We looked at the botanicals that were available on the common, so heather and gorse are quite distinctive, so we use those.
“We did a lot of research on different hop varieties, we used a cascade which gives this lovely, citrusy harp.”
Distilled with liquorice and lemon, using nectar and plants from the gardens of Wimbledon, their premium dry gin gives balanced floral notes that harks of the majesty of a British summer.
During the pandemic, the brewery focused on delivering bottles and mini kegs to locals, offering discounted top-ups on their swing top gin bottles in their newly opened Tap Room in South Wimbledon.
Gordon noted that within the new Wimbledon Brewery logo, the original 1800s brewery is celebrated within the body of the Phoenix, flanked by barley and the beak is hops, all to convey heritage and provenance of the ingredients used.
Featured image credit: Wimbledon Brewery
