A COUPLE began making gin as a hobby – before deciding to launch England’s smallest distillery from the garden shed.
Stewart Bridge and Claire Ashford are set to make a fortune after learning how to produce different flavours, including marshmallow and super-spicy chilli.
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After learning how to make the spirit for fun, they’re now selling 500 bottles a month from their home in Irchester, Northants.
Stewart, 39, said: “I think we might be the smallest fully licensed distillery in England.
“I’d been producing my own beer, wine and cider for a long time, then during lockdown we discovered gin.”
He said he used to “absolutely hate” the spirit, favouring whiskey instead – but quickly changed his mind.
“You get quick results, roughly within 24 hours. With beer it takes months,” he said.
The couple ploughed £40,000 into the business, Little Devil Distillery, kitting out their 10ft by 28ft shed with fermenters and stills last year.
And their efforts have paid off already. Their gin is stocked in supermarkets and they’ve recently sold their 200th bottle.
The most popular flavour is marshmallow, which is 45 per cent proof and costs £39.99.
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“I made the marshmallow gin and thought it looked dull,” Stewart said.
“Some friends suggested edible glitter so we tested loads of different colours of glitter.”
Stewart was diagnosed with autism when he was little, and used his childhood as inspiration.
“I was frequently called a ‘little devil’ as a child. I was an undiagnosed ‘brat’ and expelled from so many schools,” he said.
“That’s the reason why I called the business Little Devil Distillery.
“I also have ADHD so hobbies have been fleeting, but the science and the chemistry for making the gins really scratched an itch.”
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