The fruit of imagination
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Words by Hannah Tapping
Combining the purity of Cornwall’s unspoilt natural resources with a desire to bring something new to the Cornish spirit scene.
Brian Farmer and his family have come across something that seems to have so far been overlooked in the Duchy. Blending local ingredients and rich orchard flavours with a long-established tradition, Moorland Distillery has landed firmly on the map of Cornish artisan spirits. “Back in 2015 we found ourselves determined to make a truly Cornish product from scratch; a product that could be purchased for that special occasion and that would be attractive to the ever-growing tourist trade,” explains Brian.
However, it seemed that many gin producers at the time were sourcing ingredients from outside the county, which was something the Farmer family didn’t want to do. After spending many hours attending craft fairs, food and drink festivals, and trawling supermarket alcohol shelves to find that missing Cornish beverage, they soon came to realise that a true Cornish apple brandy, produced in the traditional way from fruit wine, was missing from the market. “We had found a potential product and research indicated that most ‘true’ fruit brandies were distilled using a traditional copper pot still and matured in oak barrels,” explains Brian. “So, throwing caution to the wind, we located and imported a 150-litre copper still from Germany.” Enter the affectionately named, Susie.
With a vision to produce a truly Cornish product made from scratch, in Cornwall, by the Cornish, the Farmer team set out to lay the foundations for Moorland Distillery. Starting with apple juice, which is fermented into apple wine using selected yeasts, a process which is common to all true brandies, the low wines are transferred to the copper still, Susie, and gently heated to extract the apple wine spirit. “Only the very heart of the distilled alcohol is used to produce our Apple Brandy,” Brian continues, “being settled briefly before being ‘laid to rest’ in oak barrels, sealed with beeswax and left to mature. Our cellar is well ventilated which provides the advantage of barrels being exposed, to some degree, to the infamous ‘Cornish mizzle’. Early trials have shown us that this unique combination of quality natural ingredients, pure spirit, prolonged contact with oak and climate has the potential to produce an outstanding brandy. We stored our first brandy in the summer of 2016 and we launched our ‘one-year-old’ fresh bottles in the summer of 2017.”
After further research, a Cornish apple schnapps was added to the collection. Made from a careful blend of spirit, apple juice and spring water, the Moorland Distillery Apple Schnapps is produced at 8% and 20%. The 8% can be served over ice or with a mixer and includes honey from their own bees that live in the apple orchard. The 20% can also be served over ice, but is more popular as a base for a cocktail with prosecco, ginger ale or champagne.
Despite some difficult trading years during the Covid pandemic, Brian and his family have kept Moorland Distillery afloat, and together are finding success. Brian elaborates: “We have an IT expert who keeps the infrastructure up and running, an engineer who solves all our equipment running issues and another son who is brimming with confidence when facing customers. Alongside this my wife, our ‘mission control’, has an expert eye for detail on our image which includes label design, marketing material, stall design and anything that requires that special input. I mainly focus on production, spending endless hours in the distillery or as some people call it, my ‘man cave’.”
While it was not their intention to produce a wide range of products, attending shows and events has given the team a valuable insight into what niche products are desperately missed and no longer available. “Because we produce Brandy, we were asked many times, if we could make Lovage and Shrub,” Brian tells us. “Rumour has it, shipwrecked barrels of rum and brandy were hidden off Cornish shores, to be smuggled ashore in darkness. As the barrels were submerged in salt water it tainted the spirits and therefore Lovage and Shrub were a popular addition used to mask the taste. Lovage and Shrub were made for centuries by Phillips of Bristol, who, when they ceased trading, took the recipes with them. So, we started out on a journey to reproduce these much-loved herbal cordials. It took us 12 months to produce a Lovage made from natural ingredients that customers tell us tastes exactly the same as the original. And Shrub? Well… after many trials, and failures, we’re there!”
Moorland Distillery now offers a sweet and indulgent Cherry Brandy alongside its Apple Brandy and Apple Schnapps, as well as a five and ten-year-old Brandy, plus their beloved Rum. With all the flavours of a Cornish orchard blended into a tantalising product, it comes as no surprise that as many locals are buying the products as are sold into tourism, and it’s clear many are looking forward to what’s next for Moorland Distillery.
