Cambridge Distillery is an exciting and innovative gin producer based in the picturesque English city of the same name.
Master Distiller William Lowe and his wife Lucy founded the distillery, a stone’s throw from the River Cam, in 2012. Their mission was simple: create a gin from fresh, seasonal botanicals and distil them according to their individual needs, rather than all together at extreme temperature. To do this, Lowe had to find a method to make gin that did not involve the pot still. His answer was vacuum distillation, which was created in 1661. In his front room, Lowe fashioned the first Cambridge apparatus that would later create some of the most innovative gins ever made.
From humble beginnings as the UK’s smallest distillery with a two-man and one dog team (Darcy the Labrador features on the logo), Cambridge has become the largest dedicated vacuum gin distillery in the world. Lowe, who is the only person to also hold both a Master Distiller and Master of Wine title, applies his near quarter-century of experience in the drinks industry to produce the most innovative, fresh and seasonal gins possible. This ethos has resulted in a Most Innovative Distillery award win for three consecutive years – and every gin released onto the market has scored a gold medal for quality.
Lowe’s modus operandi is to create outstanding products rather than gimmicks. He has been responsible for countless industry firsts, including the first gin to focus solely on Japanese botanicals and the first gin made from insects.
He has been able to do this via his “novo-dimensional distillation matrix”, which allows him to tailor the temperature, pressure, timing and six other variables to the individual botanical’s needs. This distillation technique allows the team to maximise flavour during the production process and gives them the flexibility to experiment with ingredients that are fresh, rather than dried.
Beyond the official bottlings, Cambridge Distillery applies this matrix to produce one-of-a-kind, bespoke gins for clients.
