Highclere Castle Gin, spirit of the “real Downton Abbey” comes from one of the most famous and recognized castles and is one of the fastest growing, most awarded gin brands in the world. When COVID-19 hit, Highclere Castle closed its mighty doors and “Cocktails at the Castle” was born. Lord and Lady Carnarvon welcomed guests into their beautiful home virtually hosting and engaging with thousands from around the world in their Live stream event that aired on Facebook and Instagram. “What started as a fun way to stay in touch with customers, fans and friends, grew bigger than we could have imagined,” said Adam von Gootkin, Co-Founder and CEO for the brand. “The virtual cocktail party drew in a record number of viewers making this the largest virtual cocktail party in the world,” he added. The virtual cocktail parties ended back in June as the castle was starting to reopen for visitors. With COVID on the upswing again, Lord and Lady Carnarvon hope to bring a little holiday joy into homes while we all embrace for more lock downs. On December 4th and December 18th, the castle is hosting 2 more virtual cocktail parties. The parties will feature Christmas cocktails made with Highclere Castle Gin prepared by the castle’s head butler, Luis whilst Lord and Lady Carnarvon give tours of the rooms in the castle while sharing amusing anecdotes.
Adam von Gootkin says, “Highclere’s incredibly rich heritage, pedigree and reputation for entertainment, plus botanical ingredients have merged to create the finest gin that’s ever been made. Our mission is to bring elegance and beauty by capturing the “spirit” of Highclere Castle to consumers seeking authentic, high-quality products. Highclere Castle Gin combines a global fascination with the British aristocracy and royalty with an authentic craft spirit based at one of the most famous locations in the world, resulting in an award-winning gin.”
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Highclere Castle Gin is the winner of 15 international platinum, double & triple gold awards. The brand was developed in partnership with the 8th Earl & Countess of Carnarvon with American spirits entrepreneur, Adam von Gootkin. The estate gin is made from a blend of botanicals grown on the ancient estate, including vibrant oranges from the Victorian Orangery, offering a lush citrus forward flavor profile.
Distilled above an ancient underground water source in copper gin stills, Highclere Castle Gin is produced in England’s oldest gin distillery dating back to the 1800’s. This exceptionally smooth London Dry Gin integrates 10 botanicals by using Highclere’s famous oats to soften the finish, resulting in the first gin you can drink straight on the rocks. As one of the most famous castles in the world, Highclere has hosted many of the world’s most famous and influential people through centuries as they continue to do today. Highclere Castle Gin is available throughout the US, UK and is growing throughout Europe with a Canadian launch scheduled for Spring 2021. It is also available to purchase online and ships to 40 US states at www.HighclereCastleGin.com
Adam von Gootkin, Co-Founder & CEO, Highclere Castle Gin
A lifelong entrepreneur, Adam von Gootkin’s pedigree in the spirits industry dates back to his family’s distillery in the 1800s, while his lineage as a risk-taker can be traced directly to his great grandfather’s Prohibition-era speakeasy on the Connecticut River. An entrepreneur is, by definition, a risk-taker. Over a century later, Adam has more than a decade in the spirits industry and brought his family’s legacy into the next generation by co-founding Onyx Spirits Co., an award-winning craft distillery offering America’s first ultra-premium moonshine and New England’s first whiskey. In 2015, his nationally released book Living Proof: Onyx Moonshine’s Journey to Revive the American Spirit, chronicled his unique approach to traditional business principles. After successfully building Connecticut’s first distillery in over 100 years, Adam’s next venture would take him from the Connecticut coast to the rolling grasslands of the English countryside and to one of the most famous homes in the world. Partnering with the Earl & Countess of Carnarvon, the owners of Highclere Castle (known to millions of fans around the world as the home in the award-winning tv series and motion picture, Downton Abbey). In 2017, Adam co-founded the Highclere Castle Cigars Company, produced with world-renowned cigar blender Nicholas Melillo in Nicaragua. The cigar went on to win many awards, with the brand rapidly expanding throughout the US, UK and mainland Europe.
Highclere Castle Spirits joined the budding empire the following year, in keeping with Adam’s vision to create a global portfolio of hyper-authentic prestige brands with deep roots. In 2019, the award-winning Highclere Gin became the first of a super-premium line of spirits made from the oats and botanicals grown on Highclere Castle Estate, specifically, lavender planted by the Bishops of Winchester in the 9th century. The exceptionally smooth London Dry Gin has been released throughout the U.S. and the U.K., with a global expansion planned for 2020 and has won 15 international platinum, triple and double gold awards with many more expected. Adam has been featured on Bloomberg, Forbes, Fortune, NBC, and many other leading media platforms. Adam’s vision is to continue building an ultra-luxury global portfolio of distinctly authentic brands rooted in the uniqueness of their terrior and provenance; a celebration of history, authenticity, and irreplaceable pedigree.
The Spirit of Entertaining https://youtu.be/c2cVAni4KPQ
The 8th Earl & Countess of Carnarvon
Lord & Lady Carnarvon live at Highclere Castle, famous for the Emmy award winning TV show, “Downton Abbey”.
Highclere Castle is open to the public through certain times of the year and is heavily involved in charity work and hosting events to benefit great causes. The castle is a world-renowned visitor attraction with open house, yearly events and enchanted ancient gardens.
Lord and Lady Carnarvon have published many best-selling books on the family and history of the castle. Now launching Highclere Castle Gin with American partners garnering many prestigious international platinum and gold awards around the world and seeing impressive growth. The Carnarvon’s and the Highclere Castle Spirits team spent over 4 years developing the gin using botanicals from Highclere’s famous gardens. The teams worked in collaboration with England’s oldest gin distillery to produce an exceptionally smooth, luxury spirit that is worthy of Highclere’s history and pedigree. The gin celebrates Highclere’s generations of entertaining the world’s most prominent figures, including royalty, statesman, artists, celebrities and scientists. Lord and Lady Carnarvon’s mission is to protect the Highclere legacy while maintaining its reputation for exceptional quality and growing the brand throughout the world.