Felix Clark and Corinna Kovner, the couple behind award-winning Ester Gin, have celebrated the official opening of the distillery and cellar door, as well as the launch of their new Old Toms Gin.
Ester started out as a bootleg experiment and went on to become a bold juniper-forward, award-winning gin, which is now available through Bibendum Wines.
“We have an amazing artist in residence whose workshop upstairs is textured, layered and kind of chaotic. That laid the foundations for a dynamic and interesting space of our own,” explains Corinna, “We wanted to avoid the industrial warehouse aesthetic and invent something beautiful instead.” The finished space is a fusion of function and form – art and science – with signature Ester red highlights, stacked boxes of polished gin and intricate brewing equipment that could easily display in an art museum.
The expansive room centres on a 10-seat marble table – a proper vantage point – where tastings will be held. “It’s where we all work when we’re not distilling, where we share a meal or argue over our Spotify playlists,” says Corinna. That energy of conversation and connection will flow into public tastings – “which we’ll keep simple,” Felix explains, “Classic gin cocktails, our own bottled cocktails and gin flights – we also have a new product to release.”
To celebrate the grand opening, Ester launched its easy-sipping Ester Old Tom Gin. “Our gins are sometimes described as flavour sledgehammers,” Felix said, “but this one’s less spicy, more delicate.”
Where traditional Old Tom’s are made with added sugar, Ester has let nature do her work, “We’ve used a triple citrus distillation with jasmine flower to create a more subtle flavour profile, bringing out the gin’s natural sweetness.” Ester Old Tom Gin will be available for retail purchase or tastings.
The Tasting Room & Pop-Up Bar will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, every week for walk-ins only, with the bottle shop open 12-5pm every day.
