HAMPSHIRE is a myriad of beautiful, towns, cities and villages, with scenic country walks and close links to the seaside but did you know that many well-known alcoholic tipples are brewed and distilled here?

There is something for everyone with ale, gin, wine, vodka, spice rum and coffee liquor all being made right here in our home county.

Here are some of the Hampshire tipples that we think you should try:

Gorilla Spirits

Gorilla Spirits Co. was founded  by Andy Daniels whose vision was to create a truly ethical business and an exceptional portfolio of spirits and liqueurs.

Based in the north east corner of Hampshire, Gorilla Spirits Co.’s distillery in Upton Grey is where they make their small-batch, award-winning spirits  all while donating £1 from every bottle to The Gorilla Organization to help save the endangered gorilla population.

Their spirits include: Silverback Mountain Strength Gin, Silverback Old Tom Gin, Silverback Wild Strawberry Gin, Silverback VSOG, Blackback Mountain Strength Vodka, Maraba Coffee Liqueur and Karasimbi Spiced Rum.

The River Test Distillery

Here they craft ‘True River Spirit’ on the banks of the world famous River Test, in the heart of the English countryside in Hampshire.

The river is internationally renowned for its fly fishing and ‘gin-clear waters' and it is this backdrop that provides the inspiration behind The River Test Distillery.

The gin made here includes award-winning London Dry gin with gently honeyed, floral notes and infused with handpicked meadowsweet flowers and a special edition Chalkstream Gold is distilled with Maris Otter barley.

Bombay sapphire

The famous Bombay Sapphire is distilled in Laverstoke Mill in Whitchurch.

 In 1831, the Dakin family purchased a still, and adapted it to separate the exotic botanicals from the neutral grain spirit, capturing the flavours of the botanicals in the vapour – an artisanal distillation process now known as Vapour Infusion, and still faithfully used by Bombay Sapphire today.

 

Black Chalk Wine

Black Chalk Wine references both the chalk downland of the Test Valley and the black chalk

traditionally used by the old masters. They use classic grape varieties and traditional methods to craft award winning sparkling wines.

 On-site is a winery, shop and tasting room as well as a vine circle as an outside events venue.

Andwell Brewery

Andwell Brewing Company was founded by Adam and Helen Komrower,  first brewing at Newland’s Farm in a potato shed. The micro-brewery can be found along the riverside in the hamlet of Andwell.

They brew real ales, IPAs and lagers with an ethos of producing great beer at a great price with only the finest ingredients, offering a high-quality product for excellent value.

Jenkyn Place

Nestled in the North Hampshire Downs near the quintessentially-English village of Bentley, the vineyards cover 12 acres of what were once hop fields.

Jenkyn Place specialises in dry single-vintage English sparkling wines.

The award-winning wines are made in the traditional Champagne method, from classic grape varieties and spend around three years on the lees before being released to the public.

Hattingley Valley

Hattingley Valley is a custom-built, eco-friendly winery which specialises in making premium English sparkling wines using the traditional method.

Hattingley Valley has quickly established itself as one of the UK’s most successful wineries, winning over 100 medals, 13 trophies, and three Best in Class for its English sparkling wines.

The winery is home to the rare Silver-washed Fritillary Butterfly indicating that the vineyard is a healthy environment with a rich biodiversity and they have produce half a million bottles of wine a year.

Baynhams Brewery

Baynhams’ Brewery is a friendly family business, tucked away in the heart of the New Forest.

The brewing site is a small holding in the picturesque village of Brockenhurst. Prior to the site conversion, the area had been used for pig grazing with a number of fields and small barns for agricultural activity.

They have converted the field into a beautiful hop garden growing Prima Donna and the main barn is the epicentre of the brewing activities.

The beers are light, refreshing and perfectly carbonated, delicious yet subtle flavours infused from their own hops makes Baynhams’ Beers great.

Itchen Valley Brewery

Nestled in the heart of Hampshire, they brew a range of award-winning real ales with pure Hampshire water, yeast and barley along with the finest hops.

After 23 years and over 30 million pints, IVB is now a multi award winning national brewer staying true to its roots with using the finest of locally sourced ingredients.

Flack Manor Brewery

Flack in Romsey is committed to the brewing lifecycle, from 'grain to glass', in order to deliver the very best ale to their customers. 

Their business thrives on excellent supplier relationships; from the best quality local ingredients, casks, sundries through to the publican and ultimately the customer.

Seasonal ales include Wolfie-T, Black Jack Porter, Flack Cracker(autumn and winter ales), TPA, Romsey Gold (summer ales) and Union Flack (special occasion).

While there are many Hampshire breweries, Flack Manor has set themselves apart with their particular emphasis on the brewing lifecycle and their concern for genuine 'provenance'.

Winchester Distillery

Nestling at the western end of the South Downs Way, surrounded by the rolling Hampshire countryside, clear chalk streams and watercress beds for which the county is known, you will find Winchester Distillery, home of Twisted Nose Watercress Gin.

Launched by Paul Bowler in 2014 from his small home kitchen in central Winchester, and now based a few miles outside the town in Old Alresford, Winchester Distillery is home to hand-crafted premium spirits using traditional methods and botanicals sourced from the surrounding landscape, such as watercress, lavender and coriander.

The journey in creating what is now the distillery’s signature gin, Twisted Nose, was not an easy one. In fact, it wasn’t until recipe 84 that Paul was satisfied he had achieved what he had set out to make – an intensely herbaceous yet delicately floral spirit with soft sweet citrus notes and spicy undertones finishing with a peppery sparkle.

Two further ranges of spirits have also been created; Hampshire Gin and Winchester Dry Gin. Under the Hampshire Gin label there is a navy strength Gunpowder Gin, an Old Tom Gin as well as limited edition seasonal releases such as Spring Meadow and Summer Garden, made using locally picked cherry blossom and summer fruits.