Kent Spirit of the Year Finalist: Anno Distillers Kent Dry Gin

Nestled away in the heart of the Garden of England, in the quaint village of Marden, Anno Distillers has revived the county’s distilling industry being the first to distil gin in the county for a couple of centuries. It is from Kent that Anno takes its inspiration, creating internationally-awarded spirits, or, as they like to call it, ‘the spirits of alchemy’, by expertly distilling blends of local botanicals using decades of scientific knowledge.

The Anno spirits range from super-smooth dry gins to delightfully fruity ones, as well as Anno Extreme 95 Gin – the world’s strongest gin; a perfectly balanced limited edition whisky; and the newest addition to the collection, Anno Vanguard Rum. All of the Anno creations are lovingly crafted in Patience, Anno’s 300 litre copper-potstill, which you can visit during distillery tours, tasting and blending experiences.

Residing in such a beautiful area of the country, Anno is very aware of the influence that a business can have on the local environment; therefore using local botanicals has always been part of the ethos at Anno and this can be seen across the whole Anno spirit range. From the foraged florals and fruits found on family friends’ properties such as sloe berries, elderflowers and rose hips to the samphire collected from Romney Marsh and the lavender harvested from the National Lavender Collection at Downderry Nursery.

Local strawberries are used for the Anno B3rry Pink Gin and Anno Colour Changing Magic Gin, which come from a farm less than five miles from the distillery. The honey used in Anno Orange & Honey Gin comes from the local honey man and Anno gives a little back by donating to the Bee Friendly Trust with every bottle bought. All Anno spirits also use Kentish water purified using reverse osmosis in the Anno Distillery.

We are committed to continually improving processes to reduce environmental impact. This includes switching to 100% environmentally-friendly packaging with a high percentage of recycled material and no plastic.

Exchanging bottled spirits in the distillery bar for large refillable carboys has also reduced the amount of glass that needs to be recycled and therefore the number of bottles transported.

After extraction, tons of waste fruits are spread as fertiliser on a Marden farm and uneaten food and fruit
peels from the staff and events kitchens are composted on site and then used to fertilise the roses in a staff member’s garden.

At Anno we believe in recycling as much as possible, so why not upcycle your Anno bottle into something new:

• Make a night light by using bottle cork string lights in your favourite colour

• Make a table centre piece by filling the bottle with small stones and put a tapered candle in the top

• Use as a vase for a single stem flower

• Get a bottle pump and turn it in to a soap dispenser

• Fill a corked bottle with little sweets for a sealable easy to access snack