One of the world’s most iconic golf resorts and 4-time host of The Ryder Cup, The Belfry Hotel and Resort in Sutton Coldfield has teamed up with Berkshire-based Hawkridge Distillers to create a distinctive and delicious new London Dry Gin.
The name of the gin, “1960” represents the year The Belfry was founded. Many of its botanicals have been carefully selected from the resort. Roses and lavender picked from the resort’s courtyard, willow from the golf courses and honey harvested from its very own “Belfry Bees.”
Tasting notes for 1960 describe it as having a traditional juniper heart with a characterful citrus forward. The home-grown botanicals and honey ensure the gin is delicate but fragrant, with distinctive floral tones that give way to a beautiful long-lasting pine aroma. The gin has been specially crafted to create a soft and smooth taste and the home-grown botanicals in the blend reflect the resort’s commitment to using locally sourced produce wherever possible.
The tipple is presented in a stylish Belfry Bell shaped cut glass bottle topped with a gold glass golf ball as a nod to the resort’s distinguished golf heritage.
“We’re delighted to be serving guests our new 1960 gin – it’s been an exciting journey from distilling to the final stages of production and then having our first taste of the finished gin”, said Varun Shetty, Director of Food and Beverage at The Belfry Hotel & Resort.
“It was very important to us to ensure that the gin is reflective of the beautiful environment at The Belfry and of our commitment to sustainability. To achieve this, we have had botanicals and produce from across the resort incorporated into the blend, something we felt was absolutely crucial to do. We hope our guests love 1960 as much as we do!”
In line with environmental policies at The Belfry, once empty all 1960 bottles from the resort will be sent to the distillery to be refilled and returned.
“The whole project working with The Belfry has been a wonderful journey from start to finish. The Belfry team were very clear on what they wanted from start to finish. Their exacting standards have been welcomed by our distilling team and we feel we have created something very special which The Belfry guests will simply love,” said Phil Howarth, Managing Director at Hawkridge Distillers.
At the prestigious IWSC 2023 awards, the quality of the new gin was recognised with a much-coveted Bronze Medal in the London Dry “taste” category.
Hawkridge Distillers is a multi-award-winning distillery with an ever-growing collection of customer and own-label gins. Our clients include Michelin starred restaurants, some of the world’s top hotels and even the British Army.
