Award winning Herefordshire drinks

Michaelchurch Escley has its own distillery, Black Mountains Distillery.  It was set up to give you a range of Herefordshire Gins and spirits.   

The Bridge Inn also stocks award winning local ciders and beer along with a fine selection of wine from small vineyards, local spirits and Herefordshire apple juice.

HILL BILLY GIN & HILL BILLY RED (Born and made in Michaelchurch Escley)

Hill Billy Gin was born in Michaelchurch Escley high above Hay-on-wye in the farmhouse kitchen at Bridge Farm.  Its made by the landlord of the Bridge Inn, Glyn Bufton and his friend Lloyd Reed, the aim was to create a Gin smooth enough to sip neat over ice, but punchy enough not to be bullied by any tonic.  

Recipe no. 1 is triple distilled from twelve botanicals including Punchy Juniper, Well Behaved Liquorice and Gwatkin Herefordshire Apple from our local orchards in the Golden valley.  A perfected balance of slow maceration and vapour infusion creates this full flavoured gin.

Currently Hill Billy Gin and Hill Billy Red is available in the pub, at local deli's and a few other places we love, we hope to be able to get it to you further away soon.  

If you were hoping to order a bottle you can click on the link below:

If you interesting in finding more detail have a look at Hill Billy Gin

If your interested in visiting any Herefordshire distillery or cider maker let us know and we will help to arrange it for you.

CIDER

Throughout Herefordshire there is a strong tradition of farm cider-making. Farmers produced cider to be drunk by the farm labour force during the following year, especially the busy times of hay-making and harvest.

We are blessed to have many great local producers, one of our favourite is Gwatkin Cider who Farm and grow apples in the rolling hills of the Golden Valley.

Not only is it a working farm, but it’s also the family home. As well as keeping livestock Gwakin's also own apple and pear orchards that supply them with the fruit needed to make real cider and perry.

WINE

The Bridge Inn stocks small production vineyards whose winemakers are dedicated to producing wine of expression,vibrancy and quality. 

BEER

For many years the Bridge Inn have been proud to serve well conditioned real ale, the delicious and award winning Butty Bach from the Wye Valley Brewery based in Stoke Lacy Herefordshire is pretty much always available on draft and we have other guest ales from Wye Valley Brewery and other local brewerys.

OTHER SPIRITS

Fancy a Chase Gin or Vodka, or maybe a Brecon or Hereford Gin, we also stock Millers Gin which was conceived and founded by the late Martin Miller along with a selection of single malts and a welsh seaweed spiced rum.  We have three flavours of Sly Gin on our Gin shelf, all are produced in very small batches using low temperature distillation methods to capture the bright, fresh flavours of the botanicals, some of which are grown in their own herb garden. The final product is hand crafted, distilled and bottled in Dilwyn right here in Herefordshire.