Manchester Gin

Product Information

The city punches massively above its weight in the distilling game when it comes to the delicious juniper spirit. Enough to be able to put together an A to Z of local gins. In 2019, they moved into their forever home in the Watson Street arches where they can make up to a million bottles of gin a year. Situated in the railway arches of Deansgate, Atlas Bar has been a Manchester icon for over two decades, and has matured into an elegant, quality bar specialising in gins from around the world; over 570 at the last count! On arrival, guests will receive a welcome drink and can choose from vodka, rum, or gin, before starting their tour of the distillery. Perhaps our most prolific distillers, Zymurgorium claim to be the original Manchester gin, and have followed it up with more, including a Manchester Marmalade Gin (using a locally made marmalade), and the incredibly popular Sweet Violet Gin (think parma violets in a glass). They also have a slew of liqueurs, mead and absinthe. Their original gin is made using their own brewed mead, which gives it an incredibly rich, honeyed, almost biscuity flavour profile.

I gave away several thousand bottles in the end. It cost me a small fortune, at a time when trade dropped off a cliff. But I'd do it again.” Thomas Dakin A range of spirits – rather than a range of gins – means that there will always be something in the experience for everyone, and you’ll hopefully always come out of it learning something new.” Liam Manton and Mark Smallwood were no strangers to a G&T or two, and one Christmas Eve wondered if it was possible to pull the characteristics of their favourite gins into one. So they did. Taking inspiration from Fletcher Moss and Parsonage Gardens, and working with Union Distillery in Market Harborough, their first gin was a light citrus version of a London Dry gin, and is perfect with lemon thyme and pink grapefruit. We had two main reasons for moving to our new distillery last year; firstly, we needed a bigger distillery that could handle higher levels of production; secondly, we wanted to be able to offer something immersive in which we could actually meet our customers and share our passion for gin, Manchester, and quality produce. When we first started out, we were working loads of food and drink festivals and meeting our customers in person, and we didn’t want to lose that as the brand grew.” Gin is the quintessential British spirit, but its origins lie far from these shores – over this 3 hour excursion we will take you on a journey through the history of Gin from the Gin Craze of the 17th Century to the modern era with the biggest selection of high-quality Juniper based spirits the world has ever seen.Join our 1,000-litre still, Wonder Wend, who sits pride of place in our beautiful arches, where you can see what’s being distilled each day and chat to our distillers about the processes behind each spirit. Winner of Best Spirits Bar North West and Best Bar Team North West in The Great British Pub Awards alongside the Design My Night Best Beer Garden Award and a finalist in the 2019 Star Pub Awards for Best Spirits Bar in the UK.

Seb and Jen, owners and gin lovers, started the distillery in their dining room in 2016 where they aimed to distil 100 bottles of gin per month. Manchester is awash with an amazing selection of breweries and distilleries for the most discerning of tastes. Defiance is an original, innovative distillery which doesn’t follow convention. Crafting unique spirits with eye-catching designs. Defiance Distillery was launched by Paul Sheerin in 2017, an outlet for his passion for food and drink which started in his 20s while travelling the world. Defiance represents Paul’s passion for quality and design, which can be seen in everything he creates. Shortly after launching the Distillery was built in the foothills of Oldham/Saddleworth which is open on Friday nights as a gin experience bar on Friday nights and as a Gin Academy on Saturday, which means the passion can be shared with the wider public Not only is there a distinctive gin to be found in the railway arches of the Green Quarter, but also a gin school – offering both you and I the opportunity to learn a little about gin, how it’s made and also to make your own and take it home. Tarsier Gin

Tameside Gin is the area’s first ever gin distillery, based in Denton - just a 25 minute drive from Manchester city centre. Their product range is crafted with 100% natural plant-based ingredients and described as "proper”, “no nonsense” gin. We chatted to the owner of Tameside Gin, Lee Chisnall, who told us a little bit about what the last few months have looked like for the company. In total, there’s currently 11 different Gin distilleries operating in Greater Manchester, many of which are open to the public*, allowing visitors to see the distilleries in person and even try some tasters of what they have to offer. The map above shows all of the Manchester-based gin distilleries, with the ones that are currently open to the public or offering virtual tours and tasting sessions coloured in green. Based just a short 5 minute walk from the city centre, Manchester Gin is an excellent choice for anyone visiting Manchester. As well as tours of their fantastic distillery, they’re also currently offering virtual gin tasting events hosted on Zoom.