The product of a collaboration between Sharp’s and Southwestern Distillery, The Hopster gin is made in north Cornwall on the Atlantic coast where both producers are based, and has an ABV of 42%.
The Hopster is a contemporary take on the classic London Dry style that combines a complex blend of gin and a fusion of three different types of hops: Crystal, Cascade and Pilot. It is currently only available to Sharp's direct customers, and they are hoping to make this more widely available in future.
Experimenting with styles and flavours
The gin was distilled by hand in Southwestern Distillery’s flame-fired copper pot stills and comes in a hand-filled, signed bottle.
Sharp’s Brewery beer sommelier Ed Hughes said: “Since launching this exciting collaboration, we’ve received fantastic feedback from customers so we were eager to make The Hopster a fixed member of the Sharp’s portfolio.
“A huge part of what we do here at the brewery is experimenting with styles, flavours and products to push boundaries within the drinks industry, and The Hopster gin is a brilliant example of this. Thanks to our friends at Southwestern Distillery for working with us to produce this awesome gin”.
Trends in gin
This news follows the announcement that Sharp’s Brewery and north Cornish vineyard Camel Valley have collaborated to produce a second vintage of their Camel Valley Pilsner following an initial limited release.
Meanwhile, at the Future Trends: Spirits event in London yesterday (Wednesday 4 October), gin was predicted to retain its popularity through an increased focus on “discovery and accessibility".
Diageo’s head of European innovation Paul Thomas told attendees that the rise of fruit flavoured gins and innovative mixers would help drive more consumers into the spirits category.