Novel New-In Gins at the Brewery Shop & Tap
Check out the new-in distinguished range of gins in the Brewery Shop and Tap.
Locally sourced from Cranleigh, these elegant additions from The Surrey Copper Distillery really look and taste the part.
Choose from:
Copperfield London Dry Gin Volume One Juniper rich 45% ABV (botanicals include Juniper Berries, Orris Root, Angelica, Liquorice, Coriander, Lemon Peel, Cardamom, Cubeb Berries and Elderflower
Copperfield London Dry Gin Volume Two Floral Notes 45% ABV (botanicals include Juniper Berries, Orris Root, Angelica, Lemon Peel, Coriander, Pink Peppercorns, Cubeb Berries, Rose Petals, Hibiscus, Elderflower and Lavender)
Copperfield London Dry Gin Volume Three Orange Spice 42% ABV (botanicals include Juniper Berries, Orris Root, Angelica, Liquorice, Coriander, Lemon Peel, Cloves, Star Anise, Cinnamon, Sage, Rosemary, Wormwood and Bitter Orange Peel)
The gin is handcrafted in small batches in a copper pot still using a blend of botanicals inspired by historical recipes discovered in library archives. The gin is gently distilled to release spirit vapours which pass through the carefully selected blended botanicals.
We found out more about The Surrey Copper Distillery…..
Our story
The Surrey Copper Distillery is based in the heart of the beautiful county of Surrey. We make a distinctive library of spirits inspired by a rich heritage and reflecting the very essence of England. The distillery was founded in 2017 by Dr Chris Smart and his wife Professor Katherine Smart. Both are widely experienced and acknowledged as experts in the brewing and distilling industries. The Surrey Copper Distillery relaunched in early 2024 with new team members to drive the business forward and bring our Copperfield London Dry Gins and other drinks to a wider audience.
Our inspiration
Our Copperfield London Dry Gins are inspired by the earliest documented recipe from The Complete Distiller by Ambrose Cooper and which was first published in 1757. While browsing in a book shop opposite the British Museum, Katherine Smart stumbled across a copy of the 1800 edition of The Complete Distiller nestled amongst some beautifully bound copies of Charles Dickens’ Collected Works. Recreating those original recipes in small pot stills inspired the recipe which is now used for our Copperfield London Dry Gin.
What’s in a name
We named our gin Copperfield in tribute to the fortuitous find amongst Charles Dickens Collected Works.
The Dickensian links don’t stop there. We have made the beautiful Surrey countryside our home and we are a stone’s throw from The White Horse in Dorking where Charles Dickens penned the Pickwick Papers. Often referencing gin in his books, Dickens enjoyed spirits and perhaps gin most of all. In Pickwick Papers he coined the name Whistling Shop for a place where spirits and particularly gin were sold. In David Copperfield, Mr Macawber orders a gin punch and quickly forgets his troubles! Dickens himself reputedly collected gins in his cellar and one of his favourite drinks was a Mint Julip which was a wonderfully refreshing combination of gin, lemon juice and mint, regularly served at his Doughty Street soirées.
Our gin is made with botanicals from the field and in a copper pot still. The Copperfield name beautifully combines the two.
Our Still
The gin still is called Clara and is very special. She is a 300 litre Mini Carterhead designed specifically for us by one of the world’s leading craft distillery manufacturers, Green Engineering of Italy. Green Engineering not only bring a tremendous amount of technical expertise to still design but as craftsmen with typical Italian flair also produce beautiful stills. And we really wanted her to be beautiful.
Our distillation process is different in that we use an infuser rather than steep our botanicals in the actual still. This spirit vapour infusion yields fragrant flavours and aromas to create an inimitable and elegant gin.
Solar Power
The distillation process needs a lot of energy. Here at The Surrey Copper Distillery, we are very fortunate to have a solar power plant on site. This means that we are able to distil in a cost effective and environmentally sustainable way.
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