FAQS
We hope the below frequently asked questions will help answer your Puddingstone Distillery Campfire Gin queries and questions but if not fill in this form and we will get back to you.
VISITING
Puddingstone Distillery is on the P E Mead & Sons Farm Shop & Café site in Wilstone Green, just a five minutes drive from central Tring. There are plenty of parking spaces.
We are four miles from Tring and Cheddington stations but unfortunately buses are limited. Alternatively you can visit on foot, by bike or even horse!
Use postcode HP23 4NT and turn into the gates for the farm shop. We also recommend downloading the what3words app and use location ///sketch.listening.bashed
Absolutely. We have our own on-site gin shop which is open on Fridays and Saturdays 9.30am to 5pm. Pop in for a free gin tasting and to purchase bottles of Campfire Gin, special and limited edition gins, gin gift sets, cocktail kit equipment, cocktail bitters, vermouths and tonics.
Yep, you sure can. We offer free try before you buy gin tasting on all our Campfire Gins and often the limited edition gins and special edition gins too.
We sure do. We’re proud to make our gins and we like to tell and show people all about it! For more info, times, dates and to book visit our Distillery Tour page here.
Our neighbour and landlord is the P E Mead & Sons Farm Shop & Café – they are open seven days a week. Toilet facilities are for our customers and those of the farm shop and café plus the other businesses on site. Please respect all users if you are wearing muddy boots.
Yes it is. We welcome disabled visitors to the distillery and shop. The shop entrance door, gin stills (where we make our gin) and the distillery shop are open plan and on the same level, there’s no stairs to navigate. We have bench seats and stools for anyone wishing to sit down when visiting the distillery shop or taking part in a gin tasting. The toilets are in a separate building and are shared with the farm shop and café which are also welcoming to disabled visitors.
Of course but only when accompanied by a gin drinking adult. We ask that dogs are kept on a short lead, are quiet and do not jump up at the display counters or other customers.
You can but call 01442 502033 to make sure someone is here. Or if you are already standing outside knock on the door! Monday to Thursday we are busy making gin – distilling, bottling, labelling and out on deliveries. No appointment is necessary on Fridays or Saturdays as the shop is open 9.30am to 5pm. We open the shop on Sundays in the run up to Christmas so keep an eye out for special opening hours during this time.
OUR GINS
Our gins are made from a wheat based spirit. Botanicals are the plants, fruits, seeds, nuts, roots, flowers, herbs, berries and spices from which we extract flavour and aroma to give each of our award winning gins it’s unique character.
Well yes! All our gins are distilled by Ben and bottled and labelled on site. We have lots of repeat customers and over 20 international spirits awards and two Great Taste Awards. We were voted The Gin Guide Distillery of the Year in 2021 and won the World’s Best Martini Challenge in 2019. We were voted Best Rural Drink Business in the East of England Amazon Rural Business Awards 2018 and the 2018 Best Food & Drink Producer in the Hertfordshire Life Food & Drink Awards. We have never contracted out the production of our gin which makes this a genuinely locally made product.
Simple fact is they are all good. Best is subjective but what we can say is our Campfire London Dry Gin is the most popular with Old Tom, Cask Aged and Navy Strength Gins close behind. Our special edition gins such as Ultrasonic Gin and Christmas PUD PUD Gin range sell out pretty fast so we suggest signing up to our newsletter to get release dates for these gins. You can sign up here.
Nope, not even our Campfire Cask Aged Gin tastes smokey, which, by the way, has notes of soft fruity bourbon, hints of caramel and a lingering vanilla palate. Our main gin brand is called Campfire because we’ve enjoyed our best gin & tonics sitting around the campfire! Good conversation, friends, warmth and maybe some delicious food cooked over the glowing embers.
For a simple gin and tonic we recommend a good quality Indian tonic, a couple of cubes of ice and a simple garnish. There are suggestions on our website along with some really delicious gin cocktails, including our World's Best Martini recipe.
Yes. The process for creating alcohol from wheat results in a high strength alcohol that is free from glutens.
Our Campfire Gin range and Ultrasonic Gin are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. The Honey Bee Gin made in collaboration with The Canteen in St Albans contains distilled honey and is therefore not suitable for vegans.
Yes. We use roasted hazelnut as a botanical in Campfire London Dry Gin, Campfire Cask Aged Gin and Campfire Navy Strength Gin. The hazelnut is distilled and therefore the nut allergens remain bound in protein molecules left in the gin still at the end of the distillation process. Many other well-known gin brands include nut in their botanical line-up such as Bombay Sapphire who use ground almond. Campfire Old Tom Gin, Ultrasonic Gin, Domestique Gin and PUD PUD Christmas Gins do not include nut in the botanical line up.
We don’t add any sugar, artificial flavours or colours to our gins. PUD PUD Cherry Gin gets its colour and sweetness from the natural cherry juice. While the sweetness in Campfire Old Tom Gin is from malted barley and chamomile.
We recommend storing our gins standing upright in a cool dark cupboard out of direct sunlight. Gin is very stable, and has a long shelf life. It will not taint but over time subtle changes may occur as it reacts with oxygen in the air. We’d advise not storing the gin in the fridge as this can cause the oils extracted during distillation to form a haze. This will disappear when the gin warms up and will have no impact on flavour or aroma. Our tip… keep space in the fridge for pre-chilled martini glasses!
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That really depends on what and how much you want. For trade and contract distillation enquires please contact us.
We don't run a bar at the distillery, but we can teach you how it’s done, just sign up to our newsletter where we announce details of cocktail masterclasses held at the distillery or online. We’ve also got all the ingredients and equipment you’ll need here in the distillery shop. Want that recipe for our World’s Best Martini? You’ll find it here.
Technically all gin is flavoured through the use of different botanicals. Our gins have a variety of amazing flavour and aroma profiles but if you are looking for marshmallow, toffee, mint or rhubarb & custard gins then we’re not the gin distillery for you. We do recommend you pop over to us and try some though – we’ve had more than one person with a passion for fruity gins and elderflower tonic walk away with a bottle of Campfire Navy Strength Gin and some Fever-Tree Aromatic Tonic!
A what? There is no such thing as non-alcoholic gin. Gin is a juniper-flavoured spirit drink and the minimum alcoholic strength by volume must be 37.5%. If there is no alcohol it does not classify as a spirit and therefore is not a gin either. As a low alcohol alternative we’d recommend trying some of the amazing Bitter Union cocktail bitters that we stock. A few dashes of those in water, soda or tonic will provide you with an option that is far cheaper and tastes much better than a number of the no/low options available.
Sorry, no, our focus is on full strength gins. By definition gin liqueurs contain a large amount of sugar and that’s not something we really want in a bottle of gin. By having a proper gin you get to choose whether you sweeten it yourself with tonics, syrups or shrubs.
We do! You can now bring your empty bottle back to the distillery and we'll refill it for you with the same gin. Not only will you be helping with recycling but you'll also save £3 off your next bottle. The refill system is currently only available for our 70cl Campfire Gin range. Bottle must be returned unwashed with original label and stopper.
This service is not available to trade customers instead ask about our separate trade refill scheme.
WHERE TO BUY CAMPFIRE GINS
Locally in Tring the Campfire Gin range is also retailed through the P E Mead & Sons Farm Shop and Tring Brewery. They only stock our 70cl Campfire Gin range. For miniature gins, gin gift sets, limited edition gins, Christmas gins and special edition gins you’ll need to shop direct with us, where you can try before you buy.
We also supply many independent retailers, farm shops and off licences around the UK with the Campfire Gin range, our gin gift sets, miniature gins and limited and special edition gins. If your local independent off licence doesn’t stock our gins ask them to get in touch for trade prices!
We don’t but if you would prefer to purchase from a retailer local to yourself rather than directly from our distillery or online shop, contact us with your location and we'll point you in the direction of your closest Campfire Gin stockist.
Absolutely. We supply pubs, bars, restaurants, cinemas, delis, farm shops and many other places either by direct delivery from the distillery or via one of our distributor partners. If you are a trade customer fill in this form and we will send you our brand overview and price list.
Call 01442 502033 if you’d like to place an order over the phone. If you are a trade customer we will email an invoice to make the payment via BACS or credit card. If you are a private customer we will email or text you a payment link to make the payment via your credit card. Once payment is received we will dispatch your order. Trade orders will be dispatched or delivered as per our trade agreements.
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Depending on your order we can offer a discount. Please send us a message with details of your order and we will advise of the discount available.
Yes absolutely. Whilst receiving a bottle of Champagne or wine is a very nice alcohol gift, sending a bottle of Campfire Gin from a small, independent distillery is going to make your gift stand out even more!
We offer corporate gifting services which include bespoke labelling, bespoke inserts and bespoke packaging* plus all logistics. We can send to multiple locations (UK only), all we need are the names and addresses.
*Some bespoke elements such as gift boxes etc are subject to lead times and minimum quantities.
For more info please send an enquiry here.
GIN DISTILLERY TOURS AND EVENTS
Throughout the year we allocate some of our Thursday gin distillery tour evenings to private group bookings. You can invite up to 20 gin loving people to share and enjoy the evening with. It is the same format as our mixed group gin distillery tours. Two Campfire Gin & tonics will be served plus you’ll get to try neat samples of all four Campfire Gins. To enquire about available dates and pricing please contact us.
If you have Puddingstone Distillery paper gift vouchers with TOUR, £5, £10, £20 or £50 on the front side you can use them to book for gin distillery tours. Check the gin distillery tour dates here and once you’ve chosen a date fill in this form with your details and the voucher number(s). If you want to book and pay for extra places click the date you wish to book for here and follow the instructions on the booking site.
On the whole our gin distillery tour evenings are Thursdays. Very occasionally we may run an event on a different night or during the day. Check the Distillery Tours and our Events pages for details of events at the distillery and out and about on location. Sign up to our newsletter for first notification of new events as we add them to our gin calendar.
DELIVERY AND SHIPPING
We can ship gin anywhere within the United Kingdom but unfortunately we’re unable to ship internationally. Please note that postage surcharges apply to some postcodes in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and the Isles of Scilly. See our Delivery & Returns page for a list of all postcodes.
Orders are usually dispatched the same day (if the order arrives before 11am) or the next working day. Please allow 2-3 working days to deliver. We calculate working days as Monday to Friday, not counting Bank Holidays. At peak times, such as Christmas, it might take a little longer to arrive. If we are aware of delays we will try and email you. More details can be found here.
If you need to make a change to your order or check the delivery status send us a message and we’ll get back to you pronto.
For current delivery prices please visit our Delivery & Returns page.
Send us a message straight away making sure to include your order number. We will implement the changes where possible but if the order has already been fulfilled we will unfortunately not be able to make any changes.
Orders can be placed online via our website and collected from the distillery. During the checkout stage select the ‘Collect from distillery by appointment’ shipping option. Once we receive your order we will contact you to let you know when it is ready to be collected.
If you want to send a birthday, Christmas or thank you gin gift to a friend use their address as the delivery address and we will ship direct to them. As standard we do not send invoices or receipts in our parcels. To make your gin gift extra thoughtful and special you can add a gift message in the Order Notes box when completing the checkout stage. We will handwrite your message on our luxury textured paper compliment slips.
We don’t offer a gift wrap option but our gins are available as boxed gin gift sets with two branded glasses, in miniature gin gift packs or you can add a gift box to any 50cl or 70cl bottle. Shop gin gift options here.
You can add a gift message in the Order Notes box when completing the checkout stage. We will handwrite your message on our luxury textured paper compliment slips.
For full details on our refund and exchange policy please visit our Delivery & Returns page.
PACKAGING & THE ENVIRONMENT
Yes absolutely! You can now bring your empty bottle back to the distillery and we'll refill it for you with the same gin. Not only will you be helping with recycling but you'll also save £3 off your next bottle. The refill system is currently only available for our 70cl Campfire Gin range. Bottle must be returned unwashed with original label and stopper.
This service is not available to trade customers instead ask about our separate trade refill scheme.
Our gin bottles were selected as they are one of the lightest glass bottles in their category. Our bottle is made from 40% recycled glass and doesn’t have a big plug of glass at the bottom which means less raw material is required to make them and the final bottle is much lighter. Less glass equates to a reduced carbon footprint during production, transit and recycling. Our Campfire Gin labels are made from 30% recycled fibre and are from a FSC certified supplier.
Plus our stopper is made from recycled cork and wood from a FSC certified supplier. Our gift boxes are plastic free as too is the packaging we use for online and trade orders. The only exception to this is the airbag we use to mail out 50cl bottles – these are made from plastic but this product can be recycled in your home recycling. As we phase out the 50cl bottle from our range we will also be phasing out the use of the plastic airbags.
CHARITY SUPPORT
We have our own chosen charities that we have a personal connection with and support throughout the year. Our main charity partner is Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust for whom we run distillery events with all ticket sales going directly to the charity. Additionally we donate £2 from the sale of every bottle of Ultrasonic Gin to the Trust.
Throughout the year we receive many requests for charity raffle prizes and fundraising support. We do consider each request carefully but we are only able to say yes to a handful of requests. To avoid disappointment please read our Charity Statement before contacting us about your charity, school, event or raffle.
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KEEP IN TOUCH
Serving gin to local gin lovers in London, Tring, Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempstead, St Albans, Aylesbury, Watford, Dunstable, Luton, Bedford, Amersham, Hitchin, Leighton Buzzard and beyond since 2016. Visit our micro distillery for gin gifts and gin tasting experiences or order gin online and have gin delivered direct to your front door.