Back to the roots ...
From Graz to Great Britain, or: Why is my gin called Wharfedale Gardens, Old No. 9?
In the 1940s, my great-aunt, 'Tante Mutzi,' married a British man, 'Onkel Billy,' and moved with him from Graz to Great Britain, to the small town of Blyth. Blyth is located in the northeastern part of England, almost in Scotland.
The city, located at the mouth of the River Blyth into the North Sea, was once a terminal of the North Eastern Railway, a major export port for coal, and a port for the Royal Navy. The coal smell was omnipresent there because every house was heated with coal. A wonderful scent for me at the time. My aunt lived with her husband in a fairy-tale brick cottage, like from a picture book. I spent a lot of wonderful time there when I visited them with my parents. The small alley where her house stood and where I played football with my cousins was called 'Wharfedale Gardens' and her cottage had the house number 9.
Refreshingly clear - classically authentic.
In gin production, it is common today to try to stand out by using special and intense flavor components at any cost and thus differentiate oneself from other brands. More and more exotic varieties with an ever-greater number of botanicals are vying for the favor of gin fans. I do not want to deny these variants their legitimacy, after all, everything is always a matter of taste. But if you are looking for a classic, clear gin that combines the absolute highest qualities and characteristics of such a drink, that is made in the best possible way in small, limited quantities by hand, distilled over real beechwood fire, you will probably not find it quickly internationally.
This is exactly the gap that "Wharfedale Gardens" fills. That's why it's perfect to enjoy it really pure and also to let its full strength play out in fine cocktails, for example a "Martini." For lovers of extra-fine gin tonics, a "Wharfedale Gardens Gin Tonic" is truly a special experience. Wharfedale Gardens with a dry top-tonic is simply an unbeatable combination and turns a simple "gin and tonic" into a royal "Wharfedale Gardens Tonic."
The world doesn't need another gin?
Why bring another gin to an already almost overwhelming market? Firstly, I made this gin for myself and for my family and friends. I wanted to revive this experience when I opened old English gin bottles many years ago, discovered the pure, authentic gin taste and absorbed it, something that did not exist in this form on the gin market anymore. That's why I decided to take matters into my own hands and create Wharfedale Gardens. It was never my goal to market and sell Wharfedale Gardens gin on a large scale. I still do not do that now, because a gin with my uncompromising demands for quality simply cannot be produced in large quantities. Each bottle receives my undivided attention from selecting the ingredients, through distillation to bottling by hand. Everything must be perfect, there are no compromises, that's my approach.
