Announcing Spirit of the South West: The inaugural celebration of South West spirits

Spirited, Bristol’s best spirits shop, has teamed up with education and events provider Cut Point Co to launch Spirit of the South West, the first ever festival dedicated exclusively to spirits producers from the region.

Taking place at Spirited’s North Street shop, Spirit of the South West will see top producers from Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall come together for a celebration of the quality, craftsmanship and innovation that has risen up in recent years to make the West Country one of the most notable spirits producing regions in the UK. 

The festival will run over two sessions for attendees to meet the faces behind their favourite drinks and discover some new delights in the process. Running from 2pm until 8pm, there will be sampling, stories, cocktails and some special surprises to keep even the most discerning spirits-lover happy. 

Confirmed attendees include Circumstance Distillery, Bristol’s first whisky distillery in nearly a century; Silver Circle, craft distillery based less than 30 miles from the city; Retribution, the Frome-based rum producer; and Pocketful of Stones, bringing rum, gin, tequila and whisky all the way from Penzance. 

Katy Kennedy, founder of Spirited and Spirit of the South West, commented, “Bristol has fast become one of the most exciting cities for drinks anywhere in the UK. From amazing cocktail bars to award-winning producers, we’ve got so much going on right on our doorstep, not to mention the wider region and everything going on from Gloucester to Cornwall and in between. We wanted to celebrate these amazing distilleries and bring everyone together for the first time to share a drink or two, meet old friends and new faces, and maybe find a new favourite spirit in the process.”

Tickets for the festival are priced at £15 and include a discount on any bottles purchased alongside the opportunity to sample spirits from all the producers in attendance. 

As well as the distillers, beer will be provided by Good Chemistry, alongside soft drinks and food.