Gin celebrates Hull’s rich maritime heritage

A Hull gin distillery is celebrating the city’s maritime heritage by launching a new tipple.

Humber Street Distillery Co has launched its Trawler Gin and is supporting the Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City project - a £27m regeneration scheme that aims to restore several of Hull’s key maritime treasures and promote the city as a world class visitor destination.

For each bottle sold, 5 per cent will be donated to the project, which will see the restoration of Hull Maritime Museum; Dock Office Chambers; the North End Shipyard; the Arctic Corsair; and Spurn Lightship.

Councillor Daren Hale, Hull City Council’s portfolio holder for economic investment and regeneration, said: "We are delighted to have joined forces with Humber Street Distillery Co and so grateful to Lee and Charlotte for supporting the maritime project.

"We hope people will enjoy the gin, knowing they are contributing to and supporting our ambitious project to protect and celebrate Hull’s rich maritime history."

Humber Street Distillery Co owners Lee Kirman and Charlotte Bailey share a passion for preserving Hull’s maritime history and were keen to support the project while paying tribute to the city’s trawlermen of the past.

Lee said: "When we heard about the Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City project we really wanted to get behind it, so we decided to create a new bespoke gin with a hint of marine flavours as a tribute to Hull’s seafaring past.

"We live and work on Hull Marina so we desperately want to see the maritime landmarks of the area preserved for future generations to enjoy and to also help Hull become a world class destination for visitors."

 
For each bottle sold, 5% will be donated to the Hull Yorkshire’s Maritime City project, which will see the restoration of many of Hull’s key maritime treasures.

Infused with a blend of 13 botanicals, the unique tipple aims to capture the essence of the sea with a hint of samphire and a fresh kick of lemon zest. Samphire is a marine vegetable which grows abundantly on shorelines.

It packs a punch at 57% ABV, which is also known as navy strength gin.

Navy strength gin was born in the 18th Century's when naval officers began to doubt the strength of gin that was being supplied to keep their crew watered during their long voyages. A quick test was devised to ensure the product was satisfactory. Gunpowder was soaked with the gin and if it lit, it passed the test. If the gunpowder lit, the alcohol was 57% ABV, and that's how navy strength gin was created.

Trawler Gin is now available to buy from Humber Street Distillery; The Store on Pier Street in the Fruit Market; Sewell on the Go in South Cave; House of Townend in Melton; and Nisa Local in North Ferriby.