Over the last few months we’ve had a chance to step back and take a look at the wonderful individuals that are driving the food & drink industry forward in East Anglia and beyond.

Fishers Gin are a delicious distillery based in the picturesque seaside town of Aldeburgh (anybody who’s visited will certainly never forget it!), and we can’t think of a better brand to be our first feature in our new Tuesday Tipple series.

We sat down with Andrew – the founder of Fishers Gin – for a catch up on the gin, how lockdown has been for him and his team, and what we’ve got to look forward to in the future...

How has lockdown affected you guys? What are your plans for the coming months?

Our Fishers Gin Distillery has been closed to the public during the lockdown, which has meant that our tours and tastings have been put on hold. It’s a shame not being able to show people around, but we look forward to being able to open the doors again soon. The closure has allowed us to focus on some quite technical projects – such as smoked gin, which will be released very soon.

I’m ashamed to say that we only opened an online shop as a result of the March 2020 lockdown: I always thought selling online was a bit of a fad! However, it is now a crucial part of our business, as well as the only place to buy the full Fishers range and find limited-edition products. The whole team is very excited to expand our site this year and grow it into an asset that the town can be proud of.

What have you been concocting at home during lockdown?

At home I like a “Double Double” – which is 150ml of Fishers Gin in a huge glass, with two bottles of double dutch tonic, half an orange, and so much ice that you can see your breath as you sip. Apart from the obvious appeal of a giant gin and tonic, there’s also no need for multiple trips to the kitchen.

What is your perfect festival drink? Apart from your own, of course!

My perfect festival drink would be a very cold lager, preferably Spanish which always makes me think of sunny holidays and summer.

Any expert bar magicians or drinks accounts that you’re following at the moment?

I follow steak enthusiast @johnnyprimecc religiously and love his no-nonsense approach to martinis. I’m particularly fond of martinis, which is why we created the Fishers Fifty. It is a celebration of the first batches of gin from our Distillery in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, which was finished in April of last year. So, even though we have only been able to have a handful of guests visit since the opening last year, we look forward to seeing the beach full and people enjoying a G+T at sundown on our terrace next to the sea very soon.

Who is your chosen artist and top track to get the party started at the bar?

My musical taste hasn’t advanced much since I was a teenager, so any hip hop from the 90s would do!

Notorious B.I.G. – “Juicy”

Finally, are there any exciting projects you are currently working on?

I’m particularly excited about Smoked Fishers, a gin distilled from botanicals that have been oak smoked at Pinney’s of Orford for several days. Smoke is such a powerful and emotive flavour and is very typical of the East Coast. It’s been both challenging and fun to develop this gin and I’m really pleased with the final product. Getting the correct level of smoke into the botanicals for distillation using the London Dry method was particularly tricky but I’m delighted with the way the product now tastes. Smoked Fishers will be released in the middle of April.