Ellers Farm Distillery, based in Stamford Bridge near York, has hit the spirits market with a bang. Their vision is big and I am seeing and hearing their name more as I look around the spirits market.
They have 2 overarching visions that guide all they do: make the best tasting spirits out there, and do it while remaining completely carbon neutral.
In the 2 brands I look at here, Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka and Ellers Farm Small Batch Spirits, their ethos is present throughout. They aim to make spirits like no other and do so whilst looking after the planet and their workforce.
The Distillery
Ellers Farm Distillery is situated just by Stamford Bridge, North Yorkshire. The road to sustainability and unique taste starts there.
The water they use is sourced directly from the ground below the farm and the vodka process will soon have access to the farm’s own 20 acre orchard that is currently being created. As such, all the vodka is made from scratch using British apples.
In fact, the distillery has been carbon neutral since day one.
The pride they take in what they produce is evident in how my package was shipped to me. Not just a box, but a lovely wicker basket with leather straps!
Inside were the goods for me to try, taste and enjoy. Time to take a closer look at the 2 products I received. We also have details below so you can purchase your own using a generous 20% discount.
Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka
Well immediately you see a difference here to normal vodkas. Theirs comes in a brown glass bottle. This is not just to preserve the flavours but is also a sign of the distillery’s commitment to using as much recycled glass as possible. Clear glass generally uses less than 40% recycled content but brown can contain over 60%.
The name Dutch Barn comes from an old dutch barn that was once situated on the farm of the distillery.
And as far as sustainability goes, you cannot beat this really. The apples come from their own orchard and the water comes from directly under the farm – good old water from Yorkshire itself.
To create the vodka they start with those British apples, add a bit of potato spirit and taste it every 20 minutes until it becomes the perfect crisp, fresh, clean vodka that gets bottled up.
Now it’s time to try some.
Tasting notes
I have tasted many vodkas in my time and this one certainly struck me as unique. Usually your average vodka has a harsh, flavourless taste to it but this Dutch Barn was different indeed.
On opening the bottle you immediately smell lovely notes of fruit.
This fruitiness comes through in the taste of the vodka, as well as a hint of pepper. It is clean, fresh and smooth. Actually ,for my personal tastes, this is the first vodka I have ever encountered that I would consider drink neat.
Yorvik’s Y-Gin
There is no disguising where the name of this gin comes from with the company’s connection to the local City of York.
The gin is part of the distillery’s small batch range and is, of course, also produced on the farm. Each bottle is individually numbered and made in limited batches of 500 bottles.
I do love a gin and was really looking forward to trying this for sure.
Tasting Notes
Whether I was swayed by their own tasting notes or not, I found them to be really spot on. And again, as with their vodka, I found their gin to be extremely unique.
The taste of juniper comes at the start, together with a hint of sweet liquorice and cardamon. This then gives way to a delightful aftertastes of rhubarb and ginger. It really is a fountain of flavours on the palate.
Cocktails
Both of these items are perfect for enjoying neat or with your favourite mixer. But they are prime for use in making a cocktail. I will be making one that uses both the gin and the vodka soon so keep an eye out for that.
Additional Products
My taste and curiosity have been piqued, and I am looking forward to trying the other small batch delights Ellers Farm Distillery offers. Currently these include an Espresso Vodka, a Cherry Liqueur and and Elderberry and Elderflower Liqueur. I would not be surprised to see more to come as I am sure that as they grow their award winning Master Distiller will be keen to create more magic.
Discount Code
I am honoured to offer a 20% discount to all our followers and readers thanks to Ellers Farm Distillery. Simply click over to their site and use the code BH20 to receive the discount at checkout. Enjoy and let us know what you think!