#of wax. and all different custom made stamps designed by me. which could be much more elaborate in actual metal.. muahaha.... >:)c

[icewindandboringhorror]

I made a few new wax seal stamps out of clay (like the ones I did for my worldbuilding stuff forever ago), this time just of random symbols that I thought might look good done in the style of painting over the raised part of the wax or etc. :0c Some of them aren't carved deep enough to really show up that well, but overall they worked okay for being clay lol

[oldloveatz]

dance with me | san

— TYPE: prince!au, somewhat requested, princess!reader, fluff

— WORD COUNT: 2.8k

— SYNOPSIS: the annual grand ball takes place in your father’s palace, and on that night you meet a particular someone you become very interested in.

— MESSAGE: hi, i see that you’re getting so many requests so idk if you’re still accepting them but if yes, then i would like to request anything san related. it’s completely up to you to choose the plot, i just need more san scenarios in my life 😩 also, you’re such an amazing writer and my fav blog on tumblr so yeah, ty for taking your time to write for us!

— AUTHOR’S MESSAGE: so thank you for requesting a san scenario and thank you so much for reading all of my stuff im devastated ): but since you didn’t request anything specific, i took one idea from a few ideas i came up with and wrote it for san! please enjoy this omg im so sorry if it’s bad

you dreaded the grand ball your father throws annually. you had to get in a very tight corset (tight enough to constrict your lungs) and dance with strangers in some painful heels. on top of that, you had to wear a very tiring dress which you know your parents had picked for you to wear. it wasn’t that you hated the grand ball, you liked them, in fact. they were a bit socially tiring, however. you were constantly pulled left and right by your mother and father to introduce you to some family that you care less about. they weren’t even the same family you meet each year!

“a-are you sure you don’t want to wear your hair up for the ball?” your helper, elena, asked. she was verifying the clothes, shoes, makeup and accessories, hairstyle and even perfume that you’d be wearing for the ball. she offered to wear your hair up, but you insisted to not even touch your hair. “oh, your father-“

“i don’t care!” you exclaimed, which frightened her a little. “i’m sorry. but just sprinkle glitter in it, it’s fine.”

“i understand your frustrations,” elena said, pulling your velvet stool to sit down. and she was right, you were frustrated. frustrated that you had to wear whatever she was ordered to dress you in. “but, listen to me, dear. the ball will be a fun experience for you to meet other people.”

“oh, i meet so many people,” you cut in. “way too many people for my liking.”

all elena could do was sigh, thinking of another response to your remark. “alright, i’m not going to touch your hair. but you will wear your cor-“

“please, lose the corset,” you insisted. “if i breathe in that fucking-“

“language,” she warned. no wonder they soft-banned you from going outside. you were learning foul words from the people outside the castle you lived in, which was also alright because you liked them.

“well, if i breathe in a corset, either it will break or my ribs will,” you explained, hopefully it was enough to convince her to not put you in a tightly tied corset. god, you didn’t want to spend 45 minutes just putting on a corset. “and puncture my lungs, which you all do not want to happen.”

“alright, fine,” elena said, getting up from the raspberry-colored velvet stool to cross off the hairstyle and the corset from her list. “anything else you want to lose?”

“uh, yes,” you started, getting up from your king sized bed and beginning to pace across your shiny, marble floor. the reflection perfectly mimicked the ceiling, a clean tiled dark ceiling with gold intricates. the walls were white and the familiar intricates like the ceiling. you loved your room, in fact you spend a lot of time in your room. “i’d like to lose the heels.”

“but, darling they’re designer heels,” elena said, completely unfazed with the things you wished to not wear.

“so? my feet are murdered by the end of the day if i wore those heels,” you reasoned. the sound of scratches on her clipboard definitely fueled your victory, a smile playing on your lips. “and i think that’s it. yeah, that’s it.”

“rather plain, but simple,” she commented, clipboard in hand before heading for the door to leave. “lunch is ready, by the way.”

“oh, sweet.”

your darling parents discussed the ball for tonight, giggling to each other as if it was the first ball they had ever organized. your parents were the king and queen of the land, holding power but they take advantage of the said power by being kind to those who lived outside the castle. they were loved by many, which is why it was perfectly fine for you to step outside and spend the day out for hours. and you have done it.

after lunch, you bid your goodbye to go hang out with your friends (or non-royal as those who worked for your family would say). the village was a sight to behold, and you adored seeing paintings of talented artists that live within the village. you bought about fifty paintings, maybe more.

“y/n! i thought you said you weren’t coming by today?” your friend, jaehyun, asked, getting up from his spot and giving you a side hug.

you trusted jaehyun, he was the boy who helped you become comfortable with the world outside the walls of your castle. he introduced you to his friends, befriending the girls and the boys easily and connecting with them in an instant. jaehyun whistled at his friends, stealing their attention from the marbles they were playing with and running up to you and him.

“i wasn’t, but they let me go out today,” you told him with a smile. “i came to give you an invitation actually! i stole one from my parents, and you are invited to the ball tonight.”

you earned groans from the invitation, as for sure the others wanted to go too. you placed a finger on your lips, hoping to shush them and they did.

the enveloped was gorgeous. it was parchment-colored, beige and blotched. the sound that it makes when it gets touched was the most satisfying thing ever, and hearing jaehyun fumble with a fancy royal-like envelope was making you nervous. you didn’t want him to drop the letter. it was sealed by a custom-made wax and stamp for your family, and the wax was sparkling under the bright sunlight as it was mixed with gold particles. you did the honors of writing his name at the front, though calligraphy was difficult to do so you printed his name in your normal handwriting.

jaehyun lifted the flap carefully, hoping he wouldn’t ruin the wax at all and whispered a ‘yes!’ when he didn’t tear it apart. you snickered at his action, covering your mouth and the others mirrored your action. “what does the letter say?”

“it just says i’m invited to the castle,” jaehyun said, stuffing the letter back into the envelope in a delicate manner. he then slipped the letter into his pants’ pockets, patting it from the outside to make sure it wasn’t folded in any way. “i’ll see if i can go. i.. i don’t have anything nice to wear.”

“it’ll be lovely if you can,” you told him with a smile, placing a hand on his shoulder to reassure him that it was okay if he couldn’t attend. “i won’t hate you if you couldn’t. plus i have all the time to come out here and hang out with you guys! a ball means nothing.”

you went back a couple of hours later to get ready for the ball, silently cursing in your head each step on the track on your way back. the guards opened the tall, dark oak doors for you and you stepped in, the sound of dry track silenced as soon as your shoes met the smooth, marble floor. the environment of the castle was much different than the village. the castle was huge, but echo-y and quiet - obnoxiously quiet. on the other hand, the village was small, but a lot of children run around and kiosks that contained things to catch attention from anyone. you liked both on some days.

“it is about time you returned from your trip,” elena said, standing at the bottom of the grand staircase with her iconic clipboard wrapped in her arm. she had been waiting for you to get home, rather patiently but as soon as she watched you enter through the tall doors, all of her contained patience went down the drain. “shall we get started then, dear?”

“do we have food? i’m quite famished,” you told her, hoping to get through with this excuse and stall. but, elena saw through your excuse and shook your head. you weren’t too hungry anyway, you hoped for the dress to be loose enough for you to eat later on. you and elena headed up the grand staircase, hand resting on the gold-engraved wooden railing for support as you made your way up in your room.

elena had sent you to the bathroom to take a long, refreshing bubble bath. so, you sat in the bathtub filled with bubbles that spilled over the tub. your eyes stared blankly at the white-tiled wall, ignoring the anxiety building up in your chest but also the excitement slowly mixing with the feeling. of course, you were excited. maybe there will be a cute boy you’d want to dance with, or other people you’d eventually want to meet. it wasn’t like you had a choice though, your parents will pull you left and right meeting families you didn’t even know existed.

your thoughts were disrupted by elena pounding her fist on the door, “hurry up, darling! we still have to get you in our dress!”

you stepped out of the tub, grabbing the beige towel sitting on a golden rack next to the tub and began patting it throughout your body and rubbing it around your hair to soak up any water in your mop of hair. you wrapped your body in your soft plush robe, tiptoeing back into your room where everything was set up around your vanity.

elyssio was standing by your vanity with a hairbrush with a smile on his face, and you didn’t have the heart to tell him that you wanted to do something simple for the night. you hoped elena told him, maybe that’s what the hairbrush is for. “hey, elyssio! it’s nice to see you again.”

“very nice to see you too, princess!” elyssio said, placing the big hairbrush down on the surface of the vanity that had been littered with various boxes filled with shiny and elegant jewelry. you looked over at the headless mannequin standing still a few feet away from the vanity, and you fell in love with your dress. it was everything you had dreamed of wearing. “your parents did a very good job picking your dress for the night.”

“they took note of how you reacted to each dress they picked for every ball occasion,” elena said, sitting on the velvet stool located at the foot of your grand bed. you smiled, taking the skirt-part of the dress in your hand, and god you were thankful the dress was just right for you. “so, do you want to get the hair and makeup out of the way or get in the dress first?”

the process of the get-up ran faster than you thought, as you were in the empty hallways wandering with your dress on complete with the slightly elevated flats, waiting for the ball to start. it was 7:15 in the night, and guests were expected to pile in the grandeur room for the ball. you wanted to kill time, so you went into the kitchen to see what kinds of hors d’oeuvre and appetizers they had for the guests.

“kingston, what are you cooking for tonight?”

“hey! you’re not supposed to be here!” kingston pushed you out of the kitchen. “we don’t want you smelling like the food. you’ll see them when it’s out.”

you wandered the walls again, deciding to head to the library to kill time by reading the big books you had been putting off to the side. you’ve read the the smaller ones, at least. you grabbed the nearest big binded book in sight and sat yourself down on the velvet chair, opening up the hard cover and reading the very first page. you thought that you’d just fall asleep, assuming it’d be a boring book mostly about the geography of the earth, but that really wasn’t the case.

you had been in the castle’s library burning through time by reading the book you had grabbed, clearly and deeply into the topic of geography. what was it about the book that made the concept of geography so interesting? you were so into the book that you hadn’t realize the ball started. you wouldn’t have known if elena hadn’t gone in the library to tell you.

the room was filled with many people, a few minutes in when it started. more and more citizens and visitors made their way through the door, hearing a lot of ‘woah’s and such. as the usual, you were introduced to royal families. handshakes and smiles and nods had already gotten you worn out, but you carried on.

you pranced to the food section, grabbing a ceramic plate decorated with faint pink flowers and gold specks all around it and began walking down the table to see what the chefs had to offer. you ended up not bothering to ask what food is what, whatever looked good to you - you took it.

“that’s a lot of food you’re getting there,” a voice said from behind you. upon turning around, the owner of the voice must be an angel. he was a bit tall, he had the eyes of the fox and cheekbones made from the greek gods and goddesses. he had think yet so pink lips, if he told you he was an alien you’d believe him. how could someone be so gorgeous? “are you the king and queen’s daughter?”

“u-uhm, yes- yes i am,” you stuttered, moving on along down the table. you glanced at what he was wearing, and gosh was he a gem. the only difference between his suit and the other young boys in the room was he was adorned in gold chains, from head to toe. even his ears were littered with gold. “what’s your name?”

“san,” he replied. you took note of how nice his voice sounded in your ears, you wanted to hear more of him. “i don’t think we’ve met yet.”

“yeah, i don’t think so either,” you responded, reaching the end of the table and standing off to the side. you wondered if you should wait for him and talk more. “i’ll see you around..?”

san turned his head from the bread and butter presented in of him, flashing a small smile in his face that made your heart thump like a rabbit’s foot. he nodded, “you will.”

you sat down to eat, fending off your parents’ random arm grabs to leave you alone because you were eating. you sure got a lot of food, some of it you didn’t even get to finish at all. maybe you were rushing to find him, maybe that was it.

“you’re done eating, princess?” elena asked, dabbing on a handkerchief to her lips to get rid off of the sauce from the spaghetti. you nodded, dusting off any food on your dress and yourself to make sure you don’t make a fool out of yourself when you see san again. you checked your hair too. “you look great, sweetheart. go out there and dance.”

“thank you, i will!” you hopped off the platform which your table had been on top of and began to walk around, simply disguising it as meeting other families and attendees, but you only wanted to look for san.

you found him in a group of girls, gushing and poking his gold-adorned suit as they giggled so loudly. you didn’t think much of it and approached san, tapping on his shoulder to get his attention. he swiveled around, a smile creeping on his face as if he knew you’d come to him.

“oh my gosh, it’s the princess..”

“winnie, shut up..!”

“hey,” he greeted with his cute smile. you noticed his dimples, smiling even more at this. “i knew you’d come see me.”

you blushed, knowing that he had known you’d come for him. “uhm.. yeah.. so-”

“does the princess want to dance with the prince?” he asked, the girls behind him muttering to each other and gasping. your eyes peeked at them, before training them on san. his hand reached out to you, offering it for you to take and dance with him.

you took his hand, and in an instant he led you to the dance floor among other pairs dancing with each other. he grabbed your other hand, placing it on his shoulder and attaching his hand onto your waist. your hands still intertwined together when he offered you his hand. you got the idea that he must be a romantic person.

“where have you been all my life?” you whispered, eyes so lost in the void of his eyes. a smirk appeared on his lips, that later transformed into the sweetest smile you have ever seen. you just thought out loud, and felt so embarrassed that you said that to him. but.. san didn’t mind. “i’m sorry i said that.”

“i was just going to ask the same thing,” he said, his eyes were soon beginning to fill the dark void with adoration, like falling in love at first sight. “i’m glad you came to me tonight.”

jaehyun witnessed them dance together to the slow and perfect classical melody, his heart slowly falling off of its place. he left the venue, knowing that she was never interested in him in that way in the first place.

[goope-jp-tenmei]

Behind the Stationery: Fourteen-Forty

I’m thrilled to introduce our next stationery designer, Tricia Kim of Fourteen-Forty! Based here in New York, Tricia works with couples on custom wedding stationery and has grown her business focused in the wedding industry for many years now. She’s here to share about how learning about production processes informed her design process and how her growing team approaches the design process with each client. —Megan Soh

From Tricia: I started Fourteen-Forty about six years ago, after years of designing in the magazine industry. Funny enough, my first job was actually for a wedding publication! While what I learned at these companies was invaluable, working for large brands made me realize that I really wanted to take ownership of something that I could put my heart into. I’ve always loved making things with my hands, so letterpress printing with its mix of art and mechanics came naturally to me, which is where this obsession with stationery all began.

I was living in New York City when letterpress printing was really starting to emerge again as a craft, and I was able to find a lot of resources to start honing my skills as a printer. By no means did I ever completely master the art of printing, but it became a wonderful outlet for creativity and I loved the problem solving that it required. Looking back, I am so glad that I was able to learn the production side since understanding it from first hand experience has truly made me better equipped as a designer. Knowing the limitations, technical aspects, and possibilities helps me make good design decisions for my clients. As I gained experience at the press and became more embedded in the stationery community, the idea of Fourteen-Forty came to life (the name is an homage to the year moveable type was invented) and I slowly started building the company from the ground up.

Fast forward six years, and today Fourteen-Forty is primarily focused on designing custom wedding invitations. Located in the downtown area of Manhattan, we are a hardworking group of creatives dedicated to dreaming up unique keepsakes. We offer custom illustration, watercolor, typographical designs, all kinds of specialty printing, calligraphy, wax sealing, and more. We love working with paper along with other materials, like leather, fabric, acrylic, and wood. And if we haven’t done it before, we’re always willing to try something new!

As the owner of the studio, I handle most of the client-facing and business duties, which pretty much means I am constantly on email. One of the most important things to us is customer service. I love connecting with clients on this level and helping them navigate the whole process, which is usually a completely foreign experience to them. On the business side, I am constantly brainstorming to expand the brand and refine our processes, enhance our client experience, and just meet the day to day challenges of running a small business—fielding emails, meetings, and calls, connecting with planners and vendors, strategizing on marketing initiatives and and checking in to see how different projects are going.

We all work together in an open plan studio, which I love because it promotes an incredible amount of collaboration, which is so key to this process. I find that this set up promotes efficiency as well as keeps everyone aware of the tasks at hand and the goals we need to meet.

One of the more difficult things to manage in a busy studio is prioritizing tasks and keeping the wheels moving for all our clients at the same time. There are days when the to-do list is overwhelming, and it’s so important to see clearly what needs to be done first, second, and so on down the line. That’s why timelines are so important to us—we set a timeline for each client and make sure we do everything we can to stick with the dates and prioritize appropriately.

Our process typically starts with a call and/or client meeting, during which we really start drilling down into the client’s vision, and start sharing with them all of the possibilities. Once a plan is formulated, we begin the design process, during which we’re brainstorming and sketching out ideas, and presenting them in a series of proofs. There is a period of back and forth when we integrate changes, really listening to our client’s feedback, and hone everything to perfection.

Then we are signing off on the designs and sending them to print. Depending on the project, the next phase can actually be the most intense for us. This is when production begins, and we are spending on average one to five weeks (sometimes more!) actually producing the designs. With more elaborate projects, we may be getting supplies and finishing techniques done by 5-10 different artisans during this phase, which takes time and a lot of coordination to get right.

In addition, some of the assembly that we do (liners, vintage stamps, calligraphy, wax seal ties, and even simply collating the right items into a particular guest’s envelope) take an enormous amount of time and precision to achieve.

In the end, it’s all worth it to reach our goal—a design that is new, special, and specific to each client. There is no better moment then when we present the finished suite after months of hard work, and see our client look at their dream invitation for the first time!

All photos by Sasithon Photography except where noted.

Want to be featured in the Behind the Stationery column? Reach out to Megan at megan [at] ohsobeautifulpaper [dot] com for more details.

from Oh So Beautiful Paper https://ift.tt/2NtJdCg via IFTTT

[thelittlebitsoflovelyblog]

Last week the husband and I were invited down to Crossgar for a tour and tasting session at the Shortcross Gin Distillery – Slainte!

The Rademon Estate in County Down is one of the oldest historic estates in Ireland, and since 2014 it has been the home of Shortcross Gin.

Shortcross owners Fiona and David are immensely proud of their gin, and so they should be – Shortcross Gin is not only Northern Ireland’s first craft gin, it has also won the most awards out of all the gins distilled on island of Ireland.

Aiming to rekindle a distilling tradition that spans back centuries in Ireland, creating Shortcross Gin has been a true love affair for David and Fiona. It has taken time to build and create their distillery. They took the time to travel the world and hone their skills, this is why when they distil they do so slowly. Each bottle of Shortcross Gin is hand bottled, wax dipped and signed. The process may be slow but it’s a true craft. Each Shortcross bottle is unique.

We were booked in for the evening tour which started at 6pm so as soon as we arrived home from work we hopped in the car and were on our way. Crossgar is about 40 minutes drive for us and I would thoroughly recommend nominating a designated driver. For us, that designated driver was me… thanks Alan.

I was going to write something here about how I’m not a big drinker so I didn’t mind driving, but that would just be a big old fib – I was actually bribed into driving with the promise that Alan would buy me a bottle of Shortcross to bring home. Apparently compromising leads to a long and happy marriage.

The Rademon Estate itself is steeped in history. The House was built circa. 1667 by the Johnson family – unfortunately no relation – whose heiress married James Crawford of Crawfordsburn some time in the 18th century.

The original Rademon House was gutted by fire in the 1950s, but was soon after rebuilt to the designs of the Hon. Clad Phillimore. The entire demesne comprises a whopping 544 acres.

Just to the front of the distillery, on a hill overlooking the patio, is a sandstone obelisk. It was one of the first things we noticed pulling up the the distillery. It was erected in the 1860s as a memorial to William Sharman-Crawford MP “by grateful and attached tenantry” – sounds like a decent bloke – bet he didn’t make his wife drive.

It had been threatening to rain all day, but thankfully the sun was still out when we arrived, meaning we could enjoy a lovely gin cocktail on the patio before the tour. When I say ‘we’ I mean Alan. I had a San Pellegrino… if I couldn’t drink I at least wanted to feel fancy. Alan opted for The Bay Tree Shortcross. He said it was absolutely lovely, just to rub it in.

The copper sculpture in the centre of the patio was designed by an artist friend of Seamus Heaney and a quote from the famous Irish poet graces the base – “History says, don’t hope on this side of the grave, but then, once in a lifetime the longed-for tidal wave of justice can rise up, and hope and history rhyme”… I think the fella himself like to partake of a gin or two.

Owner and Head Distiller David Boyd-Armstrong leads each tour, and trust me, this man knows his stuff. I’ll not spoil the tour with the intricate ins and outs of how they distill Shortcross, because to be honest, that would just spoil the whole experience for you. Once you step inside his distillery David will take you on a magical journey through the fascinating process, unlocking some of the secrets and skills that go into creating Shortcross. From how they forage local botanicals on the Rademon Estate, draw fresh water from the distillery well, distill in a bespoke copper pot still and bottle and label the finished product on site – this man is a certified gin master. Teach me sensei.

Their small batch philosophy ensures that every aspect of the gin meets their exacting vision, and by ‘their’ I mean David – he bravely takes one for the team and personally tastes every batch of gin that comes out of the distillery – a true hero, I salute you and envy you in equal measure. Shortcross Gin is bottled at 46% ABV.

The copper pot still was custom made to Shortcross’ bespoke specification by the oldest family of German still makers Carl – and she is a thing of beauty! With the aim to do things a little differently David and Fiona combined the best of old and new technology with a 450L copper pot still and two enrichment columns. Each enrichment column houses seven individual bubble plates enabling just the right level of reflux – a bit like indigestion – which helps to create a smooth and aromatic spirit when they distill. A recent addition to the distillery is the new, bigger version of the original copper pot still which is proudly displayed in the huge glass front of the distillery.

We also got to take a sniff off what could be the new venture – a single malt whiskey! Every week for the past couple of years, David and Fiona have been tucking away a barrel, ready to open in three years and one day (when it can be officially classified as a whiskey) and taste. David says that they aren’t big on letting it mature for a couple of decades, for him, if it tastes good they’ll bottle it. If it doesn’t they’ll leave it until it does taste good, and if it never tastes good, well then, that’ll be that. I love a good rich whiskey – feel free to send me any 21 year Bushmills you have in the cellar – and after getting a big sniff of what they have in those barrels I’m pretty sure they are on to a winner there. And if they need a taster I’ll be first in line to volunteer. David was tight-lipped about what barrels they had used, but I got a definitely sherry smell – I could be wrong, but it was a beautifully rich aroma.

The tour ends back in the Visitor Centre/Shortcross Gin Bar where iconic Shortcross gin glasses, filled with a generous measure of gin, had been placed around the tables ready for our guided tasting tour and mixing session.

The gin itself is aromatic and exceptionally smooth. It was crafted to be a classical gin with a unique twist, best described as floral meadows, wild berries and grassy notes – and you don’t necessarily have to roll about in that meadow on your own, especially after a few gins!

Its unique flavour profile is created using fresh apples, elderflowers, elderberries and wild clover foraged on the estate, distilled alongside classic gin botanicals although the final recipe is top secret. Fiona takes the tasting sessions herself and encourages everyone to really explore the flavours in the gin. After learning about the viscosity and consistency of the gin, we all took a deep sniff in our glass. Everyone took turns calling out what they thought the most powerful scent in the gin was. Mine was clover. Alan said juniper. Dishes filled with each of the foraged botanicals are then passed around the tables and everyone got a good sniff of each. After having a good sniff of the botanicals it was then back to the gin – hurrah! – and although the clover still came across most strongly to me, some other scents had appeared, if slightly milder. Alan also said he was getting a whiff of elderflower and apple – personally I think he was just fibbing to show off.

Volunteers were required for the cocktail making demonstration and of course I volunteered. So the perfect Shortcross Gin cocktail goes like this – put a healthy measure of gin in your fancy Shortcross Gin Copa de Balon glass (you get a free one when you do the tour – failing that a big wine glass would do), fill to the brim with ice, and I mean chokka full, get as much in there as you can. Then take your swanky copper bar spoon and run it round the inside of the glass to give the ice a good swirl and create a nice frosting of condensation. Next comes the super fun part, put your bar spoon in the centre of the glass and poke it down to the bottom of the ice, then pour your mixer of choice (we had elderflower tonic with ours) from the top of the spoon straight down into the glass. The liquid trickles down the spirals of the spoon and creates a lovely fizz in the glass. Fill to just below the Shortcross Gin logo. Next take a slice of orange and rub the peel around the rim of the glass, then pop it into the glass. Lastly comes the wild mint. Take a leaf and give it a smack between the palms of your hands to release the flavour, then pop it in your glass too. And voila! you have the perfect Shortcross Gin!

Oh and did you know that the name Shortcross comes from the Gaelic for Crossgar, ‘An Chrois Ghearr’, meaning ‘the short cross’. The penny brand stamp comes from a rough-edged copper coin from King Henry 11’s Dublin mint. One of these is even framed and hanging in the distillery – it’s pretty neat.

Alan loves a good nosey round a gift shop and surprisingly he remembered his promise to buy me a bottle of Shortcross Gin… I’m sure the £5-off token we received on arrival had absolutely nothing to do with this. As it stands I not only got a lovely bottle of Shortcross, but I also guilted Alan into a Kelticandles candle and my very own copper bar spoon – a gin is no longer the same without it. I almost had a nice bar of locally made soap too, but was too slow to make up my mind which scent I wanted – rookie mistake.

You can book yourself onto a tour at shortcrossgin.com, you can also find a list of stockists and the latest news – keep an eye out for the whiskey!

A Gin of Merit | Shortcross Distillery Tour Last week the husband and I were invited down to Crossgar for a tour and tasting session at the Shortcross Gin Distillery - Slainte!