Journal New Forest Collection
Forest to Fork; Burley Gin
When picturing a true British summer, what are some of the first things to pop into your mind? Camping, pebble beaches, perhaps a 99 ice cream? How about lounging on a grand garden terrace, overlooking a red deer sanctuary whilst sipping a refreshing, Mediterranean-infused Gin & Tonic? Now that’s our idea of a summer’s day done right.
In our latest episode of Forest to Fork, Burley Gin, we follow the story of Mark Williams’ New Forest Spirits and their Wyrd Gin (pronounced weird). Founded in 2018 the Anglo-Saxon name denotes the connection between past events and future actions. The name has great significance for Mark, using his 30-year experience in food and flavour chemistry to create their distinct selection of Wyrd Gins. Blending several different ingredients, botanicals and New Forest Spring Water. Each Gin takes on average four weeks to produce and are handmade by Mark in traditional Alembic stills.
The only distillery located within the New Forest National Park, it is their surroundings that inspire many of their gins as well as their proud membership to the New Forest Marque; championing local produce and small businesses wherever they can. Back in 2020, New Forest Collection and New Forest Spirits partnered to produce our very own Burley Gin. This was a hugely exciting project and saw us combine many ingredients grown in Burley Manor’s gardens. As our kitchen is heavily inspired by the tastes and textures of the Mediterranean, our citrus-based gin is infused with complimentary notes of pomelo, rosemary and Amalfi lemon.
Besides producing the finest gin in the forest, Mark takes his commitment to the community incredibly seriously. During the troubling times of Covid-19, he created a regulated lavender and eucalyptus hand sanitiser from their Wyrd spirit and supplied to a number of care holidays, respite centres and hospitality venues, including New Forest Collection, to protect the vulnerable whilst ensuring those working and visiting the area remained safe.
Wyrd Gin is one of our most popular tipples across the Collection and we can see why. But don’t just take our word for it. Throughout the forest, countless independent wine and spirit retailers stock their gin, as well as garden centres and holiday parks. They also offer distillery tours where you can discover the hidden secrets of Wyrd Gin for yourself, or if you fancy something a little more hands-on, why not try their newly launched ‘distil your own’ event.
This summer enjoy the refreshing vibrancy of the Mediterranean from our charming New Forest National Park. Soak in plenty of fresh air whilst sipping your way through our wonderful selection of Wyrd Gins. Book your visit here.
