Part of that was the possible poison chalice of becoming master distiller was the company’s desire to create new brands. “It was a blank piece of paper. A bit scary,” says Moore.
After intensive research, Moore came up with Bloom and Berkeley Square gins. As the name suggests, Bloom boasts more floral notes, aimed at gin drinkers who wanted less juniper and not too heavy on the palate. Berkeley Square was more for aficionados looking for a gin that might be drunk neat or for a great Martini.
She has gone on to launch the ‘spicy’ gin Opihr and the slightly retro-looking Thomas Dakin (a pioneer of gin-making in the north of England) with 11 botanicals including “a hint of red cole” (another name for horseradish, apparently).
While extolling the broad spectrum of flavours traditional gin botanicals can give, Moore is concerned that some of the new gins are “going too far”.
“I like to think I pushed the boundaries as far as I can while being respectful of them,” she says.
So what is there left to achieve?
“Lots. I’ve got a head full of ideas,” she says. “Some may be good, some may be not.”
Asked what she likes and dislikes about the industry, Moore says: “We are effectively in competition but we do benefit from some camaraderie given it is such an exciting growth category within the industry.
“What frustrates me at times is speed to market and lead times, but I think that’s more a reflection on myself as I can be quite impatient.
“I do love the sourcing of the botanicals such as our juniper berries from Italy. It’s great to see where your key ingredient is being grown and how it’s handled from mountainside to arriving at our distillery.”
Moore’s message to buyers, specifiers and to consumers, is: “Let the quality of the product speak for itself.”
Asked what would be on her epitaph, Moore replies: “Strong in love. Brave in spirit.”
Don’t know about the first, but certainly the second.
