Atlantic Spirit Gin

We are a family run micro distillery based in Bideford. Husband and wife team ably assisted after midday by our teenage daughter and son.

Quint is the distiller.  In his late teens he worked at a small vineyard in France, learning about the process of winemaking from picking the grapes to bottling. His love of wine and understanding of flavours grew from there. Distilling gin has enabled that interest to come back to life!

 

Our roots have always been in North Devon enjoying our local coastline on land and in the water. We are passionate about caring for it too. Helping to organise local beach cleans with Surfers against Sewage. Recently we have changed our bottle design to make it more environmentally friendly. Most importantly for us our bottle is now re usable and we are introducing a deposit and return style system locally. Thank you to Merlyn Chesterman for letting us use her work ‘Atlantic’ on the bottle and also Mau Mau for designing our mermaid. Finally thanks to Sampson Creative, Barnstaple for putting the design together for us.

 

Foraging is a big part of what we do. We cannot go anywhere now without stopping to smell or identify some flower or interesting greenery! Drives the kids mad! Our Laver and Samphire gins are great examples of this. The Laver is picked from Abbotsham Cliffs and the Samphire is collected along the river bank. Importantly we ensure that we don’t ever take too much, so these gins are seasonal. When they are gone, they are gone!

 

The whole Atlantic Spirit gin crew…

1. Hibiscus- made with dried Hibiscus flowers and citrus fruits. Soft sweetness and long flavour from the subtle balance of hibiscus and liquorice root, leaving a hint of spice and juniper on the finish. A pleasant hibiscus and citrus nose. We like to serve it with a plain tonic and slice of lime. Serves well with a plain chocolate brownie from the Deli.
2. Lemon & Thyme- no lemons were harmed in the making of this as we use lemon balm to create the flavour, along with 2 selected local thymes, this is a beautiful gin. Lemon sherbet all the way with a citrus fruit and juniper finish. Super smooth with a fresh lemon citrus scent on the nose. Pairs well with the Haytor cheese from the Deli.
3. Samphire – using locally foraged tidal Samphire, picked in Appledore. This gin gives an exceptional taste and texture creating a super clean flavour. Micro-batch produced as we only pick small amounts. A seasonal gin for the Summer months. We like it served with a plain tonic and dried apple. Pairs well with Dressed Crab from the Deli.
4.  Lundy – Now available on the mainland! Based on the Lemon & Thyme with the addition of Gorse flowers from Abbotsham cliffs which gives a delicate sweetness. Pairs well with Pitchfork Cheddar from the Deli.
5. Thai Basil – using fresh Thai Basil leaves this gin is packed with flavour, liquorice notes and sweetness from the basil. Great with a seafood meal or just as a refreshing gin on a hot summers day. We like to serve it with a slice of lime and if you are feeling fancy, some coriander leaves. Pairs well with the Deli Farm Fennel and Anise Salami from the Deli.
6. Laver-  using locally foraged laver seaweed from Abbotsham cliffs this is a true labour of love. Another micro-distilled gin to preserve the small amounts of local laver available. This gin smells like the ocean but tastes like a truly clean refreshing gin. It’s not salty – it just tastes amazing. I like it with a plain tonic and slice of grapefruit. Tastes of summer. Pairs well with Blakewell Smoked Salmon from the Deli.

Distilling and creating our gin is a real labour of love, we distil in micro batches, using as many fresh botanicals as we can. We also use local Tarka springs water from Little Comfort Farm in Torrington. Everything from picking to bottling is done by hand.

 

Our whole ethos is to promote North Devon and the talented community that makes this place their home.  Spirit Of North Devon.