Downton Distillery’s Orchard Spirits Take Silver and Bronze at Great British Food Awards

Results from the Great British Food Awards dropped mid-October, and Downton Distillery slotted straight into the winners’ circle with two medals in the spirits lineup.

Silver went to the aged damson gin, a rare release of just 30 bottles, while bronze landed on the eau de vie de cidre in the other spirits category. Panels of chefs, buyers and producers blind-tasted entries from over 10,000 submissions nationwide, zeroing in on provenance, technique and that elusive balance of tradition with forward thinking.

For Downton, these picks affirm a tight focus on turning regional windfalls into something potent and precise.

The aged damson gin starts with wild damsons foraged along Kimmeridge Bay on the Jurassic Coast, those small, tart plums that cling to hedgerows through autumn gales. Hugh Anderson, the distiller steering the operation, macerates them into his base Explorer’s Gin, a botanical mix heavy on cedar and verbena that nods to Sir Walter Raleigh’s old voyages.

Four years in an inert vessel follow, no oak to muddy things, just time drawing out jammy depth from the fruit skins alongside gentle tannins and a peppery lift on the finish. At 40 per cent ABV in a 350ml bottle, it pours amber and dry, skipping the sugar most fruit gins lean on. Judges clocked the fruit’s bold clarity right away, calling it a stand against the sweeter crowd.

Over on the bronze side, the eau de vie de cidre pulls from cider that’s hit its sell-by at Cranborne Chase Cidery, just across the Dorset border. Organic apples like Dabinett, Browns and Yarlington Mill go into the press, then get racked clear before hitting Downton’s stills for a single distillation that strips it to essence: bright orchard snap without the haze.

Bottled at the same 40 per cent in 350ml, it’s all about purity, with that fresh-pressed tang evoking Wiltshire’s chalky slopes. The approach loops in surplus to cut waste, a thread running through the distillery’s output since Anderson fired up the kit in 2018 on Botley Farm. Panels flagged its tie to the land, that unfiltered link from tree to glass.

Both fit Downton’s Orchard Spirits Range, small batches that chase seasonality over scale. The damson run capped at 40 bottles originally, though only 30 made the final cut after rigorous tasting. Production stays hands-on: botanicals sourced close where possible, stills running vapour infusion to tease out layers without brute force.

It’s the kind of detail that shows in a neat pour of the eau de vie, crisp enough to cut through a simple apple juice mix, or the damson gin in a fizz with sparkling wine, where the fruit holds its own.

Anderson’s setup on the Wiltshire Downs keeps things grounded, with the vineyard next door feeding pomace into vodkas and old wines into other eau de vies.

Stock moves quick for these releases, popping up online or at spots like Regent Tailoring in Salisbury. The distillery’s open for tours that loop through the still room and tasting bar, where you can sample the range amid the hum of copper.