Cornish ‘plough to bottle' distillery launches in Selfridges

This August, Colwith Farm Distillery, one of the UK’s only single estate - and arguably one of the most sustainable - distilleries, launches two new listings into Selfridges; its award-winning Aval Dor Vodka and Aval Dor Gin are now available on shelf and online.

The ‘plough to bottle’ story behind the Colwith Farm Distillery is a one born of passion and determination, created by a family focused on delivering exceptional quality spirits whilst minimising the impact on the environment. Both the gin and vodka are potato-based, with crops grown on the same farm where the distillery sits. Water is drawn from a bore hole and natural spring on site, allowing the Colwith Farm Distillery to produce its own base spirit from the resources on site, a rarity in the industry. In doing so, the distillery can significantly reduce its footprint as well as having complete traceability on its sourcing.

In the distilling process, the vodka spirit is distilled forty-times in state-of-the-art stills, then blended with mineral water from an aquifer deep beneath the farm to create a smooth and creamy vodka. This quality has been recognised as both the Aval Dor Vodka and the Aval Dor Gin have been highly acclaimed, with the Vodka picking up Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits awards, and the Gin awarded Gold in the same competition.

The journey has been a long one for the distillery, taking over a decade from conception to opening its doors. And that’s because at every stage the family has made decisions based on what is right for the environment and the local communities to ensure the distillery has a positive impact.   

“We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved here,” says Colwith Farm Distillery owner, Steve Dustow. “We built our distillery with a simple ethos – to never compromise, even if that meant more time and investment along the way. The result is a unique distillery, where at every step we have been conscious that the decisions we make limit our impact on the planet, but also bring opportunity and skills to this part of Cornwall.

“We are now in a place where we can take our award-winning Aval Dor Gin and Vodka nationally. We’re incredibly proud that Selfridges has recognised that our values firmly align with what they are also trying to achieve through its Project Earth initiative, and excited for consumers to see that quality and sustainability go firmly hand in hand”.