No longer the preserve of the middle-aged, gin and tonic is more popular and fashionable than ever before.

And The Wood brothers are adding to the huge selection of craft gins and vodkas currently available by bringing out their own house range.

Ed and Charlie Wood, from Bampton, are sixth generation farmers who produce their spirits in a 200-year-old granary barn in a corner of the family farm.

The arable land on the farm produces grains such as winter wheat, barley and rye. These allow the distillery to claim its status as Single Estate, something rarely found in distilleries in the UK. 

The grains are processed in the milling shed and then carefully distilled through winding copper piping into the award-winning spirits.

Big Frank, the huge still, almost 10 metres tall, produces a clear spirit before botanicals are added in the smaller stills.

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The distillery have been making their gin and vodka for eight years and the award-winning spirits are a premium product.

A bottle of Wood Brothers vodka and gin sells on the website for £32.

Charlie’s Sloe Gin, made with sloes picked from the hedges on the farm, which are then steeped in small batch dry gin for a minimum of six months, costs £25.95.

But now the duo have decided to release a range that can be bought for under £30 due to the demand for lower priced drinks within the hospitality sector as well as for the domestic market.

“It is all about the spirit,” said Charlie. “We are using different bottles and packaging to reduce the price for this range and also do our bit for the environment.

"It is produced using the same process but means you can enjoy Wood Bros for less."

The brothers are the first generation to use the farm as the base for a modern, sophisticated distillery as a farm diversification.

They also offer a gin school for guests to explore the gin-making process.

You can be the distiller, as you choose from over 100 botanicals to flavour and re-distil your own 70cl bottle of gin.

Charlie said: "After mixing up a drink for you in the Wood Brothers’ bar, we’ll teach you how to nose and select your own unique blend of botanicals to suit your taste.

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"You’ll then distill your blend in our miniature copper pot stills, creating a personalised gin, named and bottled up on the day for you to take home."

You can even name your gin, personalise the label and wax the top.

They also offer dining experiences in their distillery bar.

The brothers hope the new house range will become a common sight in local hotels and bars.

"It means they can stock a premium product as potentially their house spirits, keeping great British produce on our drinks shelves," they said.

 

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This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris

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