Crabapple & Ginger Gin by The Blowing Stone 70cl

The third release in the Ashdown Series is our Crabapple & Royal Ginger gin. Using our delicious London Dry recipe as a base, we use crab apples and fresh ginger to create an intriguing gin which is both sweet and smooth – balanced with a subtle gingery zing at the same time.

Soldiers from both the Anglo-Saxon and invading Viking armies would have foraged for wild apples – known as ‘crabbe’ – as they traversed the Kingdoms of England.

In the 9th Century, ginger was a luxury experienced almost exclusively by the Royal Courts and was most likely imported from the Mediterranean region by spice merchants. Alfred the Great would have certainly enjoyed a sumptuous combination of fresh fruits enriched with exotic spices such as ginger.

42% ABV

The Legend of The Blowing Stone
On the 8th January 871, an Anglo-Saxon army, led by King Ethelred and his younger brother, the future King Alfred the Great was about to face the Viking army…a formidable enemy, intent on establishing Danish rule over the whole of England. Having conquered every other kingdom in England, just one more separated the Vikings from total domination – The Kingdom of Wessex.

Known as ‘The Great Heathen Army,’ the Vikings had been camped at Reading. Marching west into the North Wessex Downs, they were to meet the Wessex Army close to the prehistoric Ridgeway path just outside the village of Compton.

To summon his troops into battle that morning, Alfred blew into an ancient perforated sarsen stone which delivered a loud booming sound across the downs. Known as ‘The Blowing Stone’ this marked the beginning of the Battle of Ashdown from which Alfred emerged victorious.

The Making of The Blowing Stone Gin
The Blowing Stone gins have been lovingly crafted using carefully selected botanicals. Following extensive research of the period, we have selected fruits, herbs and some more unusual ingredients which would have been growing wild or readily available at the time of King Alfred the Great’s reign.

We’ve also included some more exotic spices which would have been imported by spice merchants whose aromas would have regularly filled the royal courts. Furthermore, the honey which smooths our Blowing Stone London Dry is made locally by our own bees.

To capture and balance these flavours, we use a three-part process combining traditional batch pot distillation methods of steeping and infusion with the careful blending of a fragrant botanical tea.

We hope you feel as we do – that the end result is ‘history distilled’.

You must be at least 18 years old to purchase this product. By purchasing, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old. Please see our full terms and conditions here.