Suffolk’s Fishers Gin opens its own seafront distillery

Suffolk gin brand Fishers Gin has opened its own gin distillery – the first in Aldeburgh and claimed to be the most ‘coastal’ in the UK.

The brand was founded by local entrepreneur Andrew Heald in 2016 and, until recently, its gin had been distilled at the nearby Adnams distillery in Southwold.

Andrew had always hoped to move production to Aldeburgh, his home town and the location of the salt marshes which inspired his gin recipe. Made using the London dry method, the spirit includes locally foraged roots, leaves, seeds and berries in its botanical mix which are gathered by Andrew and Fishers distiller Ben Bewley-Pope.

In February 2020, after two years of planning, the Fishers Distillery was finally commissioned and took over production of the spirit. Located in a converted beach house just a few yards from the shingle beach, it is thought to be the closest distillery to the sea in the UK.

Andrew said: “I wanted to create a gin that reflects the beauty and diversity of our coastline. The Fishers recipe uses a significant proportion of botanicals from the Alde and Ore estuary and surrounding coast. Opening the distillery here, just a few hundred yards from the river and salt marshes, is a dream and gives us the opportunity to showcase our gin, its production and origins all at once.”

The distillery is open for pre-booked tours, in which guests can hear the history of Fishers and the local area, take a guided tour of the distillery with an explanation of gin making and foraged botanicals, try their hand at botanical tea making, and enjoy a tutored tasting of Fishers gin. Tours can be booked at fishersgin.com.