Let the Good Times be Gin

Infectious enthusiasm and unflappable calm are a tricky mix to pull off, but Joff Curtoys radiates both. With a friendly gaze and owlish specs, he has the enviable air of a man totally at ease with life – and it’s hardly surprising.

On an average working day, you’re likely to find him foraging the meadows, woodland, and tangled hedgerows of the idyllic north Yorkshire countryside. He might be concocting delicious new flavours for his artisan gins, or collecting yet another foodie award to add to his impressive collection.

But what most puts a spark in Joff’s eye is talking about his family-run distillery’s green credentials. It’s a subject he clearly cares deeply about: “Our ethos of respect for the environment, wildlife, and the countryside is what makes me most proud,” he says. “For us, considering the planet in every decision we make is a way of life.”

It seems somehow natural then, that the story of Joff’s distillery began as a happy accident resulting from his lifelong passion for conservation. “Protecting the countryside has always been incredibly important to me,” he says. “As a kid with a love of birdwatching, I’d cycle through miles of featureless farmland, wondering where all the wildlife was.

“I went on to train as an ecologist, then moved into farming with a mission to help wildlife flourish on farmland. One practice I introduced on the farm I was working at was to stop regular hedge cutting. Thick, bushy hedgerows soon became great habitats for birds, bees and butterflies – and also happened to grace us with an abundance of sloes. I’d grown up drinking my dad’s homemade sloe gin, so an idea began to take shape.”

“The clean, pine-like flavour is perfect for Christmas”

Company HQ is housed in a re-purposed grain store, some cow sheds and a dairy building at Green Farm in Barton-le-Willows where, these days – thanks to Joff and his dedication to ecology – wildflower meadows flourish. “The place is alive with wildlife,” he says, contentedly. And, after more than 20 years, these hedgerows are still where the team get inspiration for their gins.

“To qualify as London Dry Gin, the base alcohol must include four botanicals: juniper berries, coriander, orris root and angelica,” says Joff. “But after that, anything goes, so we love to experiment with foraged botanicals such as rosehip, wildflower hay, nettle leaf and elderflower, to add more complex, interesting flavours. We make up batches of distillates flavoured by different botanicals, then Ian – our head distiller – blends them,” says Joff. “It’s a lot of fun sampling different flavour profiles, and when we landed on the blend for Asda’s Extra Special Botanical London Dry Gin, we knew we had a winner on our hands.

“On top of the basic botanicals, we added crab apple and gorse. It’s the first time we’ve used gorse, and it’s a revelation. Anyone who’s walked near gorse bushes will have noticed the coconutty aroma that its yellow flowers give off. Its needles give a clean, green, pine-like flavour too, which is perfect for Christmas.”

Joff foraging for botanicals

ASDA Extra Special Botanical Gin

Bottles on the production line at Sloemotion Distillery

Sloe fruits on the Blackthorn hedge

Production worker at Sloemotion Distillery

The still the team uses to produce this drink isn’t your average piece of gin-making gear. It’s a high-tech machine, specially designed with sustainability in mind. “Instead of a traditional copper still we use a state-of- the-art iStill,” explains Joff. “Because of its design, insulation and controls, it only uses 20% of the energy of a traditional version. To me, that makes it a thing of beauty.”

While you might think that making gin for a living would be like working in a sweet shop – a case of too much of a good thing – Joff still enjoys a glass most evenings, and has a favourite serving method…

“To serve the new gin that we’ve made for Asda, I like to pour it over lots of ice, top up with Indian tonic water (regular or low-sugar works) and garnish with a slice of crisp apple. Absolutely delicious.”