Hooting Owl West Yorkshire Gin

Product Information

The curious, whimsical story of The Hooting Owl Distillery and the legend of Sir Owlfred Tyton Hodgins, is as captivating and mysterious as the history of Barmby Moor House itself. Making good use of the extensive old stable building at Barmby Moor House, Hooting Owl is home to a fully equipped craft distillery, expertly distilling a range of traditional dry gins and other premium craft spirits combining a carefully researched and selected blend of botanicals. Inspired by the story of the house itself and by the geography, culinary heritage and abundant produce of Yorkshire, Hooting Owl also adds a hint of family and military history to the mix.

This extraordinary discovery began a new, exciting chapter in the Hooting Owl story. Dom, as Sir Owlfred had done before them, set out on a journey which was to draw inspiration from all four corners of Yorkshire to lovingly distil a range of high quality artisan spirits in the very location it was thought to have begun in 1865.Mr M’Benga said: “This is an exciting time for Hooting Owl as we grow and expand. We do intend to stay true to our roots, producing high-quality, small batch spirits, but the new plans will see us join forces with some of our friends in the industry, including The Curious Cat and the Tipsy Toad, which will also be distilled at the new premises. The company’s base, Barmby Moor House, once a famous public house and iconic coaching inn, is steeped in history spanning several centuries. Table 4: The judges found the gin to have good levels of juniper, citrus and floral characters on the nose. A really high quality spirit with a clean, aromatic finish. A really classic, clean London Dry gin. The new operation would aim to boost visitor numbers, create seven full-time and 10 part-time jobs in the city, and feature an upstairs event space holding 60. If planning permission is granted, the business expects to open The Hooting Owl & Curious Cat Distillery in early 2024, when it will relocate from its current base in Barmby Moor.

Table 3: A clean and distinctive aroma, with mineral notes and an appealing freshness - this is certainly oceanic on the nose, reminiscent of sea salt spray. In the mouth, the heat builds to a lemon sherbet finish - bolstered by the lavender, perhaps - leaving an aftertaste that is nutty and slightly toasted. With the addition of water this finish achieved further balance. A sophisticated, accomplished drink. We enjoyed the journey of the flavour profile - particularly that clean, woody aftertaste. A little adjustment to bring out the citrus tones further would have taken this to the top for us. Table 4: The judges really enjoyed the nose; the botanicals are nice and pronounced. On the palate, the flavours are all present but we thought the alcohol was a little harsh on the mid-palate. The finish was good, however, the flavours returning. When tonic is added the botanicals are pronounced and the gin is improved considerably. Fantastically peppery on the nose, with good levels of juniper, citrus and floral characters, along with hints of cardamom. Sweet and rounded on the palate, with really bright, fresh spices making their presence felt, followed by an intoxicating spiced finish which continues to linger on the palate with a bitter finish, presenting a rich, smooth complexity. Well balanced with continued evolving character and depth and a wealth of lingering, punchy flavour and a lasting botanical finish. Dominic commented: “This is an exciting time for Hooting Owl as we grow and expand. We do intend to stay true to our roots, producing high-quality, small batch spirits, but the new plans will see us join forces with some of our friends in the industry, including The Curious Cat and the Tipsy Toad, which will also be distilled at the new premises.

Customer reviews

The Hooting Owl Distillery, based in the historic village of Barmby Moor in the Yorkshire Wolds, takes inspiration and flavours from around the Yorkshire region to create a top-quality range of hand-crafted, small batch spirits.

Pour half of the cure into a large plastic container big enough to hold the fish and cure, lay the salmon on top and pour on the remaining cure. Cover and chill. The taste explosion starts with Juniper, followed by the citrus notes of the bitter orange and grapefruit, the earthiness of the mountain ash all complimented by the sweetness of the liquorice and cassia bark with a spicy finish thanks to the cubeb and grains of paradise. The distillery, which has won several awards for its artisan spirits, aims to become a destination for gin enthusiasts and tourists, putting York on the British gin drinker’s map by offering daily distillery tours, weekly gin tasting events and catering for private parties, corporate hospitality and business networking groups. The proposed location, which will be named ‘The Hooting Owl & Curious Cat Distillery’, will be developed to allow for expansion and to offer visitors “an immersive experience” with a large distillation area, event space and a speakeasy gin lounge, where York spirit lovers will be able to sample the in-house range of craft gin, rum and vodka. This is a strategic move for Hooting Owl, York is known for its rich history and thriving food and drink scene. We’re hopeful that the plans will be approved because we’d love to bring our small batch, artisan spirits into the city, not only to expand our Yorkshire business but to attract visitors and generate new jobs.”’Table 6: A fruit heavy nose that Judges enjoyed gives way to a refreshing and bright taste, the floral aspects of which were enhanced rather than muted by the addition of tonic. Really quite lovely. The distillery, which has won several awards for its artisan spirits, aims to become a destination for gin enthusiasts and tourists alike, putting York firmly on the British gin drinker’s map by offering daily distillery tours, weekly gin tasting events and catering for private parties, corporate hospitality and business networking groups. Put the beetroot, sugar and salt in a food processor and whizz to a puree. then add the remaining cure. Table 3: We were immediately enticed by this product's aroma: fantastically peppery on the nose, with what seemed to be hints of cardamom. The texture is a little on the thin side - we would have liked something creamier in this aspect - but the taste itself was very pleasant, with a lasting botanical finish and a cardamom-type flavour that also carried through when tonic was added (though not as much as one of our judges would have liked). Table 2: The aroma of the lavender is enhanced with herbs and the smell of the sea. This is a classic English country house gin, When diluted with water and or tonic, this gin really sings with depth and complexity.