In Cambridge, England, A special type of gin is being made using apples from a tree that once belonged to the famous scientist Sir Isaac Newton.
In Cambridge, England, it’s a place where they make unique drinks, including gin. The distillery doesn’t look like the old–fashioned distilleries you might imagine. Instead, it has a modern scientific look.
In 2012, Wiliam and Lucy Lowe started Cambridge Distillery. It’s a special distillery because they have used unique methods to make gin. William is a talented person. He has a lot of knowledge about wine, and he uses a scientific approach to create gin. He uses a special method called vacuum distillation to capture the flavors of each ingredient perfectly. This method enables him to produce distinctive and high-quality gins.
“It’s an incredibly high technological level of intervention in order to preserve that natural and unique combination of flavours, which naturally exist in a meadow,” said William.
Cambridge Distillery is famous for making the world’s unique gins. One of the special gins they have made is Curator’s Gin. It’s made using rare botanicals, including apples from Isaac Newton’s famous apple tree. This gin has a unique blend of citrus, spice, and herbal flavors.
“Being let loose in their garden was quite a treat,” said Lucy. “It felt ever so naughty to be picking things.”
The famous apple tree that inspired Sir Isaac Newton’s groundbreaking theory of gravity was located at his family’s home in Lincolnshire, England.
“In the last two years, Newton’s story has resonated with a lot more people,” said Emma Michalak, operations manager at Woolsthorpe Manor, who maintains one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for scientists and physicists.
The original apple tree is still alive in Lincolnshire. It considers its age. In 2022, unfortunately, a tree in Cambridge was damaged by storm. But luckily, before that, the distillery was able to harvest enough apples to continue making gin. Now they have planted a new tree, so in the future, they can keep making this special gin.
The seeds of Newton’s famous apple tree eventually spread to six continents. “Newton’s tree can be found across the globe, from America to Japan,” said Michalak. Many of those outside of the UK and Europe.
The original apple tree in Woolthorpe Manor blooms in late spring. Visitors can’t pick the apples directly, you can get these apples from the gift shop for a small price.
“A lot of people buy them to try and grow their own Newton’s apple tree from the seed,” said Michalak. But “the way cross-pollination works, that apple seed could be any type of apple that grows. It wouldn’t necessarily be a Flower of Kent.”
The distillery is making new gins inspired by Charles Darwin’s travels. Inspired by Charles Darwin’s exploration of South America, America’s Herbarium uses flavours from plants native to the region. They’re working with a university garden to get special plants for their gins.
