Photos: The Castle at Edgehill hosts its first Gin Festival

There were plenty of G&T samples on offer as well as live music and food in the gardens, which overlook the historic Edgehill battlefields
By News Reporter
Published 7th Jul 2022, 10:51 BST
Updated 7th Jul 2022, 10:51 BST
It was cheers all round at The Castle at Edgehill’s inaugural Gin Festival, which brought together local producers from across the county.It was cheers all round at The Castle at Edgehill’s inaugural Gin Festival, which brought together local producers from across the county.
It was cheers all round at The Castle at Edgehill’s inaugural Gin Festival, which brought together local producers from across the county.

It was cheers all round at The Castle at Edgehill’s inaugural Gin Festival, which brought together local producers from across the county.

There were plenty of G&T samples on offer as well as live music and food in the gardens, which overlook the historic Edgehill battlefields.

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There was also the opportunity to join guided tours of The Castle’s new micro-distillery and gin school, run by Pinnock Distillery, which opened in the tower earlier this year. It marked an expansion for Kineton’s Dan Beckett whose collaboration with The Castle at Edgehill also celebrates the brands’ shared historical connections.

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Dan Beckett of Pinnock Distillery with the Newbold Spirit teamDan Beckett of Pinnock Distillery with the Newbold Spirit team
Dan Beckett of Pinnock Distillery with the Newbold Spirit team

As well as Pinnock, the range of gins available on the day included Rugby Distillery and Warwickshire Gin Company and Newbold Spirit, both in Leamington.

The Castle sits at a location overlooking the spot where Charles I raised the standard at the Battle of Edgehill in 1642 - the first major battle in the English Civil War between the Royalist forces and the Parliamentarian Army commanded by the Earl of Essex. King Charles was the first ruler to tax alcohol in the 1630s when many people took to distilling in their kitchens.

Dan Beckett said: “Despite the weather, we still had a great turn-out, with over 100 people packing-out our inaugural Castle Gin Festival, to come and try some of the best gins from the area. It was also a great opportunity to show people around our fantastic new gin school and distillery at the top of the Castle tower. All in all, it was a fantastic day!”

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The venue is one of five under the ownership of The Free Spirit Pub Company founded by Mark Higgs.

It was cheers all round at The Castle at Edgehill’s inaugural Gin Festival, which brought together local producers from across the county.It was cheers all round at The Castle at Edgehill’s inaugural Gin Festival, which brought together local producers from across the county.
It was cheers all round at The Castle at Edgehill’s inaugural Gin Festival, which brought together local producers from across the county.

Mark said: "It was an honour to welcome four fantastic artisan distilleries to our wonderful gardens, although the weather was against us, the sun came out and there was a fantastic vibe throughout the day, we hope to hold many more gin and music events throughout our venues next year, so this was the start of many new events for Freespirit."

For more information about The Castle and The Gin School visit: https://castleatedgehill.co.uk