Cotswolds Gin takes magic from its roots

Seven years ago, Daniel Szor turned away from his career in finance to build a distillery in the Cotswolds. Born out of his love for gin and the location, it became a passion that has continued to grow.

Daniel said:

“Our gin is filled with the magic of the place it was made in. The Cotswolds hold a gentle, pastoral, and quintessential beauty that feeds into every spirit we make.”

Flavour is Daniel’s main priority, having trialled different combinations for months until he found the perfect, unique recipe that features over 150 botanicals, all of which boast flavour that derives deep from the roots of the Cotswolds.

Cotswolds Gin uses single-shot distillation to ensure the big flavours remain once tonic is added, and doesn’t use chill-filtering as Daniel believes the cloudy appearance of their gin adds another unique aspect.

Daniel explained: “The cloudy look our gin presents is a result of the oils within our botanical extracts. It is a sign of the quality of our ingredients and shows once again our dedication to flavour, which has become our trademark.”

This promise of flavour is proven through their many awards such as ‘World’s Best Gin’ for their London Dry Gin in 2016 and a ‘Great Taste Award’ in 2019.

Daniel commented: “The awards are honouring, and they help differentiate us from other gins. People try our gin for its reputation and stay for the taste.”

Like most industries, Cotswolds Gin faced anxiety when the Covid-19 pandemic began, wondering how they would cope and what would happen to the company.

However, their off-trade sales to supermarkets and direct to consumers meant the company grew 20%. Daniel added: “This has been a big value to the business, by selling directly to those who are actually drinking it, we have created a closer customer base and relationship.”

Moving from his career in finance to building a distillery from scratch and learning a whole new industry was a big change for Daniel. He said:

“There is endless creativity with gin, and the most fun part has been learning something new all over again. It’s not something many people get to do.”

The Gin Guild has supported Daniel through his journey: in the beginning he felt isolated, through lack of contact with others in the business, as well as physically by the location of the Cotswolds. Daniel said:

“The Gin Guild has provided a community that I am proud to be a part of. I feel like by joining I actually became part of a family that provides constant support.”

In the last year, Cotswolds Gin has released a new range of Wildflower Gins, inspired by the essence of the Cotswolds; low to no alcohol spirits that still hold the flavour of the originals, and premium, sophisticated, ready to drink gins.

Daniel hopes the business will continue steadily while he plans to refine its range, as well as bringing out speciality seasonal gins too.