DOWNTON DISPATCHES
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IWSC reveals shortlist for its 2024 Green Spirit Initiative
Since 2022, the IWSC has been awarding its annual Green Spirit Initiative Trophy. This prestigious Trophy recognises the multitude of considerate distillation and spirit production practices underway across the world.This...
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Cranborne Chase
Cranborne Chase, home to Downton Distillery is a large area of chalk downland and ancient woodland spanning parts of Dorset, Wiltshire, and Hampshire in southern England. It covers approximately 983...
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Environmental Programme Wins Big
Downton Distillery has been honoured with an International Green Apple Environment Award, celebrating its commitment to environmental best practices on a global scale.Competing against over 1,200 nominees in the International...
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Celebrity Spirits
Celebrity spirits are trending hard and furiously at the minute. Celebrities enter the spirits industry for a mix of business and personal reasons, and the quality of these products varies....
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Vermouth
Vermouth, a fortified wine flavoured with various botanicals, has a rich and varied history that spans several centuries. The creation of modern vermouth is credited to the Italians, specifically in...
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'One of the Best Releases in the last 12 months.'
Downton Distillery partnered with the Great Bustard Group to create 'Great Bustard Gin,' earlier this year. With each bottle sold, Downton Distillery gives 25 per cent of the money back...
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The Father of all Foods
Great Bustard Gin uses Alfalfa (Lucerne) and Red Clover as the back bone to the gin. The Romans called them the 'Father of all plants' because of their high nutritional...
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Fall of Bird Song
Were you aware of the decline in bird song across the country? There has been a significant decline in many songbird populations over the past few decades. For example, according...
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Conservation - Rewilding Juniper
Thank you to those who continue to support our conservation work. One of our projects is the rewilding of Juniper. To date we have two groves / colonies, with twenty...
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The Last Wiltshire Life Awards
Last Friday was a bittersweet evening tinged with joy and sadness. The evening was Wiltshire’s answer to the Oscars, just more countrified with a little less paparazzi. It was the...
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The Antartic Fire Angels
One of the planet’s last great untouched wildernesses, the South Pole has long been the crowning jewel of polar exploration. Since Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen first attempted to find a...
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London Drizzle
Following the success of both Asian Parsnip and American Mustard, we were asked to create something new for James May. Challenges to date have included a unique botanical, the clue...
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Conservation - The Great Bustard
During the 19th Century, the Great Bustard was hunted to extinction. For over 20 years, the Great Bustard Group has proved that this magnificent bird can thrive in Britain, once...
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Chalke Valley History Festival
Every year a wonderful festival happens in the village of Broad Chalke just over the hill from the distillery. From humble origins in 2011 it has grown, now covering a 70-acre...
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The Peregrines of Salisbury Cathedral
Peregrine falcons returned to Salisbury Cathedral in 2014, having been absent for over 60 years. Since then 27 chicks have fledged in the South tower of the Cathedral. The chicks...
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Wiltshire Life Green Business Award
Over the last two years we have been focusing on our 'Eco Programme,' With the race to becoming a net zero economy by 2050, sustainability is becoming vital pillar to...
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Vodka wins Double Gold
Our Chardonnay Vodka won a double gold at this years World Vodka Awards. With sustainability in mind, everything has been recycled. The Chardonnay grapes grow organically on the Domaine Hugo...
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Walking on Wick Down
The hills are indeed alive with the 'sound of music'. Yesterday I took a group out onto the Downs to see what we could find. It was almost like going...
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How Ethical are your Spirits?
The Good Shooping Guide, with their own independent research team has analysed the Spirits sector, and the most popular brands in this market. Around one third of the brands they...
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How Good is your Geography?
The world is constantly evolving, with national boundaries often moving. Brexit is a clear example here, but as new nations rise, others fade away through war, internal turmoil, or simply...
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Lighting of the Highest Jubilee Beacon
Written by Peter Salenieks Over two thousand beacons were lit across the United Kingdom and further afield on 2 June, marking the Queen's Platinum Jubilee by continuing a tradition that...
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Wild Swimming
With summer here we wish to introduce you to wild swimming. This sport has increased in popularity over the last four years, as people brave the natural elements in favour...
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Indiana Jones Theories Found to be True
One of our Explorer’s last year was Colonel Percy Fawcett who disappeared in the Amazon whilst trying to find the ‘Lost City of Z’. His theory of a lost civilisation...
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Vongole Pasta with Explorer's Gin
With summer now upon us this dish celebrates those fresh summer flavours. It started originally as a simple Italian peasant dish and is now a celebrated Italian Classic with clams...