What is this?

Marc is a spirit made from what remains after pressing wine grapes. Think skins, seeds and a little juice. Producers ferment that pomace. Then they distil it to capture aroma, texture and strength.

France calls it Marc. Italy calls it Grappa. Same idea. Different traditions. Marc often shows softer edges and more orchard or floral notes. Grappa can taste leaner or more intense, depending on region and technique.

What we do

The grapes of Domaine Hugo are grown on the sun-soaked chalk downs of south Wiltshire. After pressing, we repurpose the grape skins to create this spirit.

We allow the juicy skins, or ‘pomace’, to gently macerate with wild fermentation, before distilling it twice. Once distilled we do not filter it, but allow the spirit to rest. This creates a clean and elegant spirit with great complexity. The left over pomace is then composted and recycled back into the vineyard.

How to drink it

Serve it neat in a small glass. Let it warm in the hand. Sip after a meal. It clears the palate and lets the grape speak. 

• 40% ABV @ 350ml.
• Calories per shot 55
• Lovely notes of chocolate on the nose, pepper from the grape skins. 
  
• No added sugars.
• Carbon Neutral, all elements are recycled.
• Distilled and bottled in Downton, Wiltshire.
• Small Batch.

AWARDS

SUSTAINABILITY

• The bottle is using 100% recycled glass.
• The paper label is recycled, please peel off and then use your bottle for water.
• The pomace is then recycled back into the vineyard.

The Marc has been created from the pomace taken from a blend of grapes. This delivers a complex and intense fruit forward profile with clear cacao notes. It is unaged so there are no wood or spice notes from barrels.

Unaged spirits maintain more of the raw aromas from their base ingredients.

Nose: Aromas of light cacao mingle with delicate sweet peppery notes, offering a gentle warmth and soft spice. The peppery character is rounded by a subtle, honeyed sweetness, creating a smooth and inviting nose with a touch of intrigue.

Palate: This is beautifully complemented by warming, peppery spice, aromatic and nuanced rather than hot. Reminiscent of pink peppercorns with subtle fruity undertones. A touch of honeyed sweetness smooths out the edges, bringing balance to the spice. The result is a flavour that’s warm, fragrant, and layered with complexity, inviting and intriguing without ever overwhelming the palate.


Finish: Smooth, rounded full bodied, without any harshness.

Marc being a white grape brandy, offers bright acidity, floral lift, and clean structure. It cuts through sweetness, elevates aromatics, and delivers precise, layered cocktails with a dry, refined finish.

This style of spirit is best within Sidecars. This is a classic sour cocktail built on Cognac or brandy, balanced with orange liqueur and fresh lemon juice. It is sharp, structured, and clean.

Try our Pear and Cardamon Sidecar.

• Orchard Spirits is a celebration of local abundance, crafted in small, seasonal batches that showcase the best of what our surrounding landscape has to offer.
• Each release is made using surplus or specially selected fruit grown in partnership with nearby growers and orchards, supporting local agriculture while reducing waste.
• From sun-ripened damsons, windfall apples, green walnuts to grape juice lees and pomace.
• These eau de vies and spirits are distilled to capture the true character of the fruit at its peak.
• Limited in quantity and rooted in place, Orchard Spirits tell a story of community, seasonality, and the rich flavours of the land.

Fruit brandies and eaux-de-vie are clear, aromatic spirits distilled from fermented fruit, capturing the pure essence of the fruit itself without added sugars or flavourings.

Commonly made from apples, cherries, grapes, pears, plums, raspberries, and these spirits are particularly celebrated in Europe within the Alsace, Black Forest, and Eastern Europe.

Eaux-de-vie (French for “water of life”) are typically unaged and bottled at around 40–45% ABV, offering a clean, dry, and intensely fragrant profile that showcases the raw beauty of the fruit.

Best enjoyed neat in a tulip-shaped glass, they are often served slightly chilled as a digestif after meals.

Their delicate aromas also make them excellent companions to cheese, fruit-based desserts, or rich chocolate.

While traditionally sipped, these spirits are also finding new life in modern cocktails, adding a unique, aromatic layer to sours, highballs, and aperitifs.

Whether sipped slowly or mixed creatively, fruit brandies and eaux-de-vie offer a refined, sensory connection to orchard and forest fruit at its peak.

We’ve chosen bees wax seals over paper or plastic because, let’s be honest they’re just more fun.

Each wax seal is hand-poured, giving every bottle a unique finish that feels like opening a treasure.

Beyond the looks, wax is a more sustainable choice than plastic shrink wrap, and it avoids the fiddly waste of paper seals. It’s our nod to tradition, a bit of theatre, and a touch of eco-friendly flair all rolled into one satisfying pop.

• We do hope that you are happy with your purchase.
• We aim to make the return process as simple as possible.
• We must be notified of damaged goods within 2 days of delivery.
• We will refund you using the method of payment used to make the purchase.
• Goods must be returned unopened, sealed and in the original packaging.
• Downton Distillery Ltd will refund accepted returns within 30 days of you notifying us.
• The postage of the return is the responsibility of the purchaser.
• Loss or damage during transit of goods being returned is the responsibility of the purchaser.

• Please note delivery will require a signature from an over 18.
• All deliveries are sent by signed post, whilst courier will be tracked.
• Deliveries will not be made to minors and delivery services will not complete delivery if they are unsure of the persons age.
• We are unable to leave a package (even in a ‘safe place’) without a signature.
• For UK deliveries please allow 3 - 5 working days from payment.
• The distillery is not responsible for Royal Mail strikes or late deliveries by Royal Mail.