Manchester Gin

Product Information

Liam Manton and Mark Smallwood were no strangers to a G&T or two, and one Christmas Eve wondered if it was possible to pull the characteristics of their favourite gins into one. So they did. Taking inspiration from Fletcher Moss and Parsonage Gardens, and working with Union Distillery in Market Harborough, their first gin was a light citrus version of a London Dry gin, and is perfect with lemon thyme and pink grapefruit. Winner of Best Spirits Bar North West and Best Bar Team North West in The Great British Pub Awards alongside the Design My Night Best Beer Garden Award and a finalist in the 2019 Star Pub Awards for Best Spirits Bar in the UK.

But again, the gins don’t stop there because Sousa has expanded the range with vodkas, gin liqueurs and his own, in-house roasted coffee gin.Defiance Spirits can be found in Springhead, Oldham. Although it’s a good 35 minute drive from the city centre, this premium gin distillery is definitely not to be missed. Nestled in the foothills of the Pennines, Defiance is the first UK brand in 14 years to win ‘Best In Show’ at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Awards and their gin range really does speak for itself.

A spokesperson for Thomas Dakin told us, “As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, work on the Thomas Dakin Distillery has been placed on hold. An update will be shared in due course on plans for the distillery – we expect this to be in the new year. Defiance is an original, innovative distillery which doesn’t follow convention. Crafting unique spirits with eye-catching designs. Defiance Distillery was launched by Paul Sheerin in 2017, an outlet for his passion for food and drink which started in his 20s while travelling the world. Defiance represents Paul’s passion for quality and design, which can be seen in everything he creates. Shortly after launching the Distillery was built in the foothills of Oldham/Saddleworth which is open on Friday nights as a gin experience bar on Friday nights and as a Gin Academy on Saturday, which means the passion can be shared with the wider public Situated in the railway arches of Deansgate, Atlas Bar has been a Manchester icon for over two decades, and has matured into an elegant, quality bar specialising in gins from around the world; over 570 at the last count! I gave away several thousand bottles in the end. It cost me a small fortune, at a time when trade dropped off a cliff. But I'd do it again.” Thomas Dakin Our gin distillery is based within Macclesfield Forest which is the ideal base for a country walk, whilst our whisky is made at the UK's highest altitude distillery at the Cat & Fiddle Inn. The remote locations mean that the tours here are some of the most socially distant activities available in the area!"Join our 1,000-litre still, Wonder Wend, who sits pride of place in our beautiful arches, where you can see what’s being distilled each day and chat to our distillers about the processes behind each spirit. Your experience will last around an hour and will begin with a drink of your choice from our range of spirits, giving you a perfect serve of one of our award-winning spirits. Next, you’ll be given a guided tour of our distillery while learning about our history, passion and love for spirits which then will be followed by a tasting of our diverse selection of spirits.