As well as Master of Malt they have forged close ties with Whisky Exchange, Cambridge Wine, Fortnum & Mason, Noel Young Wines, and most recently, Marks and Spencer, amongst others. The Reverend Hubert Bell Lester (1868 -1929) was a charming and caring man who also enjoyed a good party, and in 1904 produced a popular winter gin liqueur that he shared amongst army comrades and the congregation of his local church in Nottinghamshire. Born in England in 1868, Hubert was the son of a wealthy merchant family. After graduating from Cambridge University, he was set to follow in his father’s footsteps working in the family business, living a life of privilege and comfort. We even ground our own spices. It was an incredible number of man hours, and we are still learning how to make it now, still adjusting and adapting.”

With the finest vodka and large juicy lemons from Amalfi, I set about making some decent pure liqueur. The results were obviously lemony, fragrant, slightly syrupy, and clear. New skills. Perfect for ending a summer’s day lunch. Now some nearly 120 years later Tom Lester has decided to give it a second life and created a 2020 version of the winter gin liqueur recipe – that so requires every ingredient to be sourced, peeled and squeezed by hand.

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The brief was very much to bring out the cheeky, glint in his eye, friendly, warm personality of Reverend Hubert. Look closely and you can see a halo around only half his head, to signify he was a man of cloth, but who also knew how to have a good time at the same time. So, he did it anyway in secret. Working with like-minded members of his congregation, he started creating recipes and distilling. He would regularly hide his gin still (Gertrude) and relocate his gin making activities to various wooded areas across Yorkshire to hide them from prying eyes.

The other stand out feature about Reverend Hubert is its distinctive label. One that immediately looks familiar and somehow iconic, even though it’s the first time you have seen it. Label within a label The label and design looks to reflect the mixed personality of Reverend HubertLester says he first came across the Reverend’s winter gin liqueur when he was given an old “smashed up WW1 hipflask with a barely legible label” by his aunt for his eighteenth birthday that happened to contain his winter liqueur and “a recipe of sorts”. “Here began the lesson,” says Lester. So much so that he now has a 10% stake in the business and is committed to hand peeling Amalfi oranges and lemons for large parts of the year.

TASTING NOTES: Our gold award-winning Winter Gin Liqueur is distinctive, original, balanced, & smooth. Bursting with aromatic notes of dried fruit, winter spices from Sri Lanka and the freshest orange & lemon zest from the Amalfi coast.

Winter Gin Liqueur

Each year he would update the recipe based on whichever country he happened to be stationed – be it for his country, or his religious calling. The ultimate digestif, it’s safe to say liqueurs have moved on since Baileys first burst onto the market (although if that’s your tipple of choice, no shade). These days, sweet can co-exist with sophisticated — you just need to be savvy about the brands you invest in.

I know where to go in the world to find the perfect style of a certain type of fruit. Like Serbia and its plums.” OUR STORY: Originally made in the vicarage in 1904 by Reverend Hubert Bell Lester for his congregation’s Christmas party; the recipe has been recreated and improved by his great-grandson Thomas. With a newfound passion for crafting liqueurs, I was soon eyeing up the magnificent cherry tree in our garden, which had just fruited with a bountiful crop (as opposed to the usual couple of handfuls). I decided to bathe the cherries in various spirits and through experimentation, cherry gin, vodka and brandy were born. They were delicious and perfect for the upcoming winter festive parties and dinners. Let’s face it we all like a little something to aid digestion and

Reverend Hubert

I am so proud of what we are doing. It feels like we have created a new category, but then I think there is plenty of room for a category between vermouth and gin. A mixable liqueur that you can use to replace a spirit, a gin in different recipes,” he explains. Hubert joined the Church locally and as his popularity grew, he became Reverend of Keighley, assembling a large, but also diverse and fragmented congregation of followers. The challenge of uniting this diverse community and raising money to support those in need of help seemed insurmountable.