FIRST JOURNEYS - 80 GINS AROUND THE WORLD - PIN 55 OF 80

AROUND THE WORLD, ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME,

PHILEAS FOGG WOULD SURELY APPROVE



Because it's there — a gin from the Cheshire village that George Mallory called home, with a taste of the Himalayas.


As I've covered polar expeditions in this virtual tour, it's only fair that I cover mountaineering too!


The gin is a tribute to George Mallory, who was born and raised in the Cheshire village of Mobberley, where David Clayton and Ben Kaberry set up Big Hill Distillery. And I have to admit, I've loved this gin since I first tried it.


My favourite serve is simply a slice of orange and a single star anise. I've actually cheated on the fresh orange this time and am using a freeze-dried orange garnish which will be clear soon!


The Spirit of George was created by David and Ben in 2017, with the distillery opening at the Church Inn in Mobberley the following year. They wanted to make a gin that reflected their local connection to Mallory, but also brought something of his Everest expeditions into the bottle.


And that meant looking towards Nepal.


The gin uses Himalayan tea and botanicals sourced from Nepal, with the founders working with Fairtrade farmers to secure some of their special ingredients. The recipe includes ginger, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom, with the Himalayan tea providing the link to the mountains.


I like the fact that they didn't just put a picture of Everest on a bottle and call it a day. The ingredients actually connect the gin to the place that inspired it.


And there is a very personal connection to Mobberley too. The distillery was set up at the Church Inn, directly opposite St Wilfrid's Church, where Mallory's father was vicar. Mallory is commemorated in a stained-glass window in the church, so you really are surrounded by his story when you visit.


George Mallory was one of Britain's great early mountaineers and took part in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the 1920s.


The first expedition, in 1921, was essentially an exploration of possible routes and the mountain itself. In 1922 the British team returned and Mallory was part of an attempt that reached 8,225 metres without bottled oxygen, a remarkable achievement for the time.


The third expedition came in 1924 and was Mallory's final attempt. He was 37 and had a young family, and there was a sense that this might be his last opportunity to reach the summit.



On 8 June 1924, Mallory and his climbing partner Andrew “Sandy” Irvine were seen high on the mountain, heading towards the summit. They were never seen alive again.


That is where the mystery begins.


Nobody knows for certain whether Mallory and Irvine reached the summit before they died. Mallory's body was eventually discovered in 1999, 75 years after the expedition, but Irvine's body has never been found and there is still no conclusive evidence that either man reached the top.


Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first confirmed ascent of Everest in 1953, 29 years after Mallory's final attempt.


There are endless theories about whether Mallory and Irvine got there first, but for me the really interesting thing is that we simply don't know. Mallory remains one of the great “what ifs” of mountaineering.


And then there is that famous phrase: “Because it's there.”  Mallory is widely credited with giving that answer when asked why he wanted to climb Everest. The wording and circumstances have been debated over the years, but it has become almost inseparable from his story and from the idea of climbing simply because the challenge exists.


Which brings us neatly back to the gin.


I love the fact that Spirit of George doesn't try to make Mallory into a superhero or pretend that we know how his story ended. Instead, it celebrates the man, the village he came from and the expedition that made him famous.


Big Hill has continued to develop since I first wrote about them too, with other gins and collaborations alongside Spirit of George, but this remains the bottle that tells their original story.


And I think that's why I like it so much. The Himalayan ingredients, the connection to Nepal, the village of Mobberley and the extraordinary story of a man who disappeared high on Everest all come together in one bottle.


You don't need to climb a mountain to appreciate that.


Although I suspect George would probably say: because it's there.

 “From Mobberley to Everest”






"Show me a bottle

and I'll tell you a story."