Sacred Microdistillery
Encyclopedia
Sacred Microdistillery is a microdistillery
located in Highgate
, London
. It is unusual in that it distils its spirits under a vacuum
in glassware, and thus at a lower temperature than traditional pot stills, which operate at atmospheric pressure. The microdistillery operates out of the back room of a residential house, with a vacuum plant situated in a wendy-house in the distiller's back garden. It is an authorised Customs and Excise distillery
.
Distillery in Hammersmith started at a similar time, but is an atmospheric pressure copper pot. Sacred Microdistillery was launched by Ian Hart and Hilary Whitney initially as a pure Gin
distillery, but this has now branched out into flavoured vodka
s, such as Sacred Vodka, produced using the same process.
Sacred Microdistillery is based on a residential street in North London. It distributes its products to over 50 bars and restaurants in North and Central London, This includes Duke's Bar in St James's, where Ian Fleming
invented the Vesper
cocktail. It is also stocked by Fortnum and Mason in Piccadilly
, and Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
in Oxfordshire
, and Gerry's of Old Compton Street
.
Sacred Gin came first in its category in the Ginmasters 2009 competition, which is a blind tasting competition organised by The Spirits Business magazine. More recently, Sacred Gin placed in the top three alongside Hendrick's and Tanqueray 10 gins in another blind tasting organised by Imbibe magazine.
The distiller started on a small scale, and personally delivered stock to local bars and restaurants on London's tubes and buses before acquiring an on-trade distributor, Coe Vintners.
under a cold finger at -196°C. The separately distilled botanicals therefore produce 2-3 fractions each, which are blended as the final part of the process.
Sacred Gin is 40% ABV. It uses 12 botanicals including: juniper
, angelica
root, fresh orange peel, fresh lemon peel and fresh lime peel, cardamom
. and Frankincense
.
Sacred Vodka is 40% ABV. It is a wholly redistilled flavoured vodka using 7 botanicals including: cubeb
, angelica root, nutmeg
, and frankincense.
Microdistillery
A microdistillery is a small, often 'boutique', distillery established to produce beverage grade alcohol in relatively small quantities. While the term is most commonly used in the United States, micro-distilleries have been established in Europe for many years, either as small cognac distilleries...
located in Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It is unusual in that it distils its spirits under a vacuum
Vacuum
In everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
in glassware, and thus at a lower temperature than traditional pot stills, which operate at atmospheric pressure. The microdistillery operates out of the back room of a residential house, with a vacuum plant situated in a wendy-house in the distiller's back garden. It is an authorised Customs and Excise distillery
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
HM Customs and Excise was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government in the UK. It was responsible for the collection of Value added tax , Customs Duties, Excise Duties, and other indirect taxes such as Air Passenger Duty, Climate Change Levy, Insurance Premium Tax, Landfill Tax and...
.
History
Sacred Microdistillery was established in London in 2009; it is the only vacuum distillery in London. SipsmithSipsmith
Sipsmith is a microdistillery located in London. It is the first copper-pot distillery to open within London's city limits in nearly two centuries.- History :...
Distillery in Hammersmith started at a similar time, but is an atmospheric pressure copper pot. Sacred Microdistillery was launched by Ian Hart and Hilary Whitney initially as a pure Gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
distillery, but this has now branched out into flavoured vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
s, such as Sacred Vodka, produced using the same process.
Sacred Microdistillery is based on a residential street in North London. It distributes its products to over 50 bars and restaurants in North and Central London, This includes Duke's Bar in St James's, where Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
invented the Vesper
Vesper (cocktail)
The Vesper or Vesper Martini is a cocktail that was originally made of gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet.-Origin:The drink was invented and named by fictional secret agent James Bond in the 1953 novel Casino Royale....
cocktail. It is also stocked by Fortnum and Mason in Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
, and Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons is a luxury hotel-restaurant in the village of Great Milton near Oxford, in Oxfordshire, England. It is located in an historic manor house near the church that was visited by Oliver Cromwell.The restaurant has two Michelin stars and scores 9/10 in the Good Food Guide...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, and Gerry's of Old Compton Street
Old Compton Street
Old Compton Street runs east-west through Soho, London, England.- History :The street was named after Henry Compton. who raised funds for a local parish church, eventually dedicated as St Anne's Church in 1686...
.
Sacred Gin came first in its category in the Ginmasters 2009 competition, which is a blind tasting competition organised by The Spirits Business magazine. More recently, Sacred Gin placed in the top three alongside Hendrick's and Tanqueray 10 gins in another blind tasting organised by Imbibe magazine.
The distiller started on a small scale, and personally delivered stock to local bars and restaurants on London's tubes and buses before acquiring an on-trade distributor, Coe Vintners.
Products
Sacred Microdistillery's first two spirits are Sacred Vodka and Sacred Gin, both of which are produced in small batches of a few hundred bottles a time, from English Grain Spirit. Each batch is made with two or three fractions: the initial one is collected under glass coils cooled with iced water (about 0°C), the middle is collected under a cold finger cooled to -89°C with dry ice (solid CO2), and the final fraction is collected under liquid nitrogenNitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
under a cold finger at -196°C. The separately distilled botanicals therefore produce 2-3 fractions each, which are blended as the final part of the process.
Sacred Gin is 40% ABV. It uses 12 botanicals including: juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
, angelica
Angelica
Angelica is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far North as Iceland and Lapland...
root, fresh orange peel, fresh lemon peel and fresh lime peel, cardamom
Cardamom
Cardamom refers to several plants of the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India and Bhutan; they are recognised by their small seed pod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds...
. and Frankincense
Frankincense
Frankincense, also called olibanum , is an aromatic resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia, particularly Boswellia sacra, B. carteri, B. thurifera, B. frereana, and B. bhaw-dajiana...
.
Sacred Vodka is 40% ABV. It is a wholly redistilled flavoured vodka using 7 botanicals including: cubeb
Cubeb
Cubeb , or tailed pepper, is a plant in genus Piper, cultivated for its fruit and essential oil. It is mostly grown in Java and Sumatra, hence sometimes called Java pepper. The fruits are gathered before they are ripe, and carefully dried...
, angelica root, nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
, and frankincense.