A gin brand in England is introducing its local honey-infused booze to U.S. markets around the country following its acquisition by a global family-owned spirits distributor.
Silent Pool Gin is crafted from 24 botanicals and locally sourced honey right from the distillery's backyard dwellings. The inspiration for the craft product — the historical and mystical spring-fed lake Silent Pool — sits behind the distillery, and the first series of bottles was revealed by the brand in 2015.
While the classic gin was already scattered in a few retailers around the U.S., following its acquisition in September, William Grant & Sons announced its distribution across the country in early May.
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"We’ve been looking for a space above Hendrick’s," Paul Basford, president and managing director of William Grant & Sons and a spirits expert of 30 years, told FOX Business during a phone interview. "Silent Pool came up as a very clear opportunity for us in 2023."
The Scottish company claims ownership of liquor labels including Hendrick’s, Tullamore Dew, Glenfiddich and Monkey Shoulder, among others.
"Hendrick’s is a flagship brand, and it fits in super premium price points," Basford said. "Silent Pool will sit above that."
The company purchased Silent Pool for an undisclosed figure in the fall of 2023. The team of spirit connoisseurs considered its caliber of flavor and distillation to be artisanal and in line with their brand principles.
"Silent Pool fits into the mission for William Grant," Basford said. "The push has been to expand the brand across the world."
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Silent Pool, an ultra-premium London dry gin, retails for $59.99, which is around double the cost of Hendrick’s at various retail locations.
"We believe the two can sit harmoniously together," Basford said. "Silent Pool is a really high quality gin."
The liquor courses through four stages of distillation before bottling. The first step is described as maturation. Next, the product is tea infused with floral botanicals that are added separately. During the third step, a vapor basket is used to pass the alcohol through the botanicals. Last, the noses of three final botanicals are added, in addition to the homegrown honey.
"The infusion stage is unique to Silent Pool," Basford said of the gin’s distillation process versus competitors. "We believe it’s worthy of an ultra premium price point."
When up against high heat, the consistency of honey is significantly reduced and subsequently becomes ash-like. Basford explained that if the bee’s byproduct were added during the initial stages of the creative process, the honey flavor would dissipate.
"It brings a different texture," Basford said. "It makes it a little bit of a thicker liquid. It brings out a lot of the flavor and rich textures, and the honey actually compliments it."
During the distillation process, the 24 botanicals — including juniper, Angelica root, coriander and orange, among many others — are extended into the process at different stages and temperatures to properly infuse. Some delicate botanicals, like florals, require gentle handling and lower temperatures.
"You will pick up a very, very high flavor profile," Basford said.
The brand also offers consumers in the U.K. a black juniper variant gin, which they intend to make available stateside in the future.
The tricolored bottle, covered in a variety of symbols of the village of Albury, is traced with bright colors and packaged opposite a small perfume bottle filled with an aroma, like coconut or lime, as a gift for buyers around England to spritz their cocktails with.
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Despite what some may have heard, the gin is free of water from the Silent Pool nestled deep in the Surrey Hills.
"The Silent Pool is not very big," Basford said. "It would not necessarily withstand the quantity of the product we need. We use local water instead. We would never want to drain the Silent Pool of water."
However, the quintessential wide range of root flavors proudly remain local, according to Basford.
"I think it’s a really nice story," he said.
