Let’s jump right into today’s topic: the museum/distillery combo that is Ad Gefrin! Before getting started on the distillery proper, I’ll quickly give some lip service to the awesome museum they have here. It’s small, but is dripping with love for Anglo-Saxon heritage culture, a sentiment that echoes throughout the whole distillery. I did have a proper look around, and even learnt how to play Viking chess along the way, but while that’s all really cool, that’s not the main focus of today’s post. If you want to know more, I recommend visiting for yourself!
Let’s get to the alcoholic elephant in the room, the distillery! Compared to some of the distilleries we’ve seen so far, Ad Gefrin is not only centralised to one room, but has plenty of breathing space! The main area is really spacious, which combined with the large window at the front and the oak wood aesthetic make for a really pretty still house.
Looking at the fermentation operation, the praise I gave for Forest Distillery a few posts ago applies here, but in reverse! I love the use of wood in distilling machinery, and where Forest used wood for their hot liquor tanks and their mash tun, here wood is used for the fermenters instead!
I was assured the type of wood used is one that is really durable and, when treated properly, can last a good while! One way they do this is by keeping hot water in the tanks when they aren’t being used, keeping the wood warm and moist to prevent it from shrinking.
Speaking of, the tour actually mentioned a lot of things other tours don’t, for example the importance of consistency in the grist you use, explaining the concept of reusing the water from the last round of mashing, and why spirit safes traditionally used to be locked (though I’m getting ahead of myself a little on that last one). Even small things like saying the washbacks aren’t irritated during fermentation really surprised me, as that’s a question only a distiller would really have. Great attention to detail.
Other small details around the distilling process are just downright charming, such as how they name their stills, or that the building needed to be built around the new make storage tank because it was too big to fit through the cask storehouse doors as planned! Also a small thing I love: they distil their gin in a pot still! It’s a small detail, but I love that they do that.
On our way to the cask warehouse, I want to highlight how beautiful the buildings are, the architecture is so picturesque from basically any angle, and they had to build this from the ground up (as they explain to you on the tour). They also show that all their signage is in two languages: English, and old English. Another really cute attention to detail that I just really enjoy!
In the cask warehouse they show the rack organisation system, which is cool, but also go out of their way to explain different barrel styles and sizing options in layman’s terms! I’ve not seen a distillery even attempt to do this, which really shows how much they care about the maturation process (even if you don’t talk to all the staff and hear it for yourself like I did)!
After this you get a quick recap of everything told to you so far on an interactive projection that the guide explains to you. It’s a nice, quick way of visualising and summarising all the information is a way that people hearing this information would retain for a while after!
Once that’s all done and dusted, we were led to the tasting room and handed off to a different member of staff who guides you through the tastings of three whiskies they sell. The first is Tácnbora, a blend of Scotch and Irish whiskies, with an emphasis on the grain whisky style. It’s very light, sweet and approachable, akin to a “baby’s first whisky”, which, after talking to the staff, appears to have been the goal.
Second is Corengyst, another blend of Scotch and Irish whiskies, but this time with a larger emphasis on malt whisky. This one is sharper, with a fruiter and spicier character. I don’t usually do this, but I feel pretty much equal about both of these. Neither are particularly for me, as Tácnbora is my kind of flavour palate, but is far too gentle and simple, whereas Corengyst has more of that rich complexity and intense flavour, but said flavour isn’t really my cup of tea. I do like both of these whiskies fundamentally, they’re just not for me.
Finally there was Flýte, a whisky cream liqueur that uses Tácnbora as a base. This was honestly delightful, and would be fantastic as either a dessert ingredient, or used in an Irish coffee on a chilly autumn afternoon. Although I really enjoyed it, my partner liked it on a whole different level. They were in nirvana with this drink, and so for the first time on this tour bought themselves a bottle! So, uh, expect a review of that down the line!
The tasting experience was also great, taking place in this beautiful projected room with fantastic atmospheric lighting. The host encouraged us to enjoy the whisky our way, as any good tasting does in my opinion. Me and her had a few really nice interactions throughout the course of the tastings, and I really appreciate their apparent passion for the topic they were talking about.
After this you’re released into the shop, which sells a lot of stuff! There are plenty of knick knacks you can buy, including some great books (I already had a few, so I knew they had a good repertoire)! They also had far more spirit types than I expected! They had whisky and gin, of course, but also rum and mead! I definitely need to return here one day to grab a bottle of each, because I’m itching to try those! Oh also, the store is really reasonably priced, which is appreciated immensely!
Before I left I also had a coffee in the bistro. The restaurant is equally beautiful and atmospheric as the rest of the facility, it’s fantastic. What was also fantastic was the coffee! I’ve had a good few cups on this trip already (can you blame me?) and this has been the best cup so far. Incredibly rich with thick, creamy foam on top. Absolutely fantastic!
Would I recommend visiting Ad Gefrin? No duh, of course! There’s a surprising amount to do here, so much so that me and my partner needed two days to experience it all; so it’s a good thing the museum tickets last a week! This distillery really does look to me as though it will truly be a rising star in the industry, and since it’s in a lovely, quiet town in the northern countryside of England, you’re truly in for a wonderful, relaxing time if you spend a weekend here.
I want to thank a few people in particular for this one. Firstly I want to thank Anne (couldn’t get her full name, apologies) for the fantastic tour and putting in so much effort despite losing her voice a bit! Secondly, I want to thank Jane Beacham for the amazing tasting session! She was genuinely one of the best tasting guides I’ve seen and I want to send her my thanks! Finally, we have Victoria Ferguson, a fellow Antonia mentee who works at Ad Gefrin and sat down with me after the tour to give me a better look at the ins and outs of the distillery’s operations and history. I hope you all look into Ad Gefrin, and go give it a look before it releases its first single malt, so you can get small distillery bragging rights for when it becomes a massive hit!
This post’s recommended song is: “Smiling May You Go And Smiling Come Again” – Jordan Aikin and Bevan Morris
