Pioneering spirit: Trevethan Distillery

Trevethan Distillery is special, but not simply because of its award‑winning Cornish spirits; owner John Hall believes he is about to disrupt the gin world, discovers Melissa Morris

In 1929, Norman Trevethan, a characterful and inventive chauffeur on the Port Eliot Estate in Cornwall, created a recipe for a bootleg ‘bathtub’ gin. Nearly a century later, the recipe was resurrected by John Hall, a friend and kindred spirit of Norman’s grandson Rob Cuffe, who also happens to have all the right chemistry qualifications. However, the rest is far from history. In fact, it could be the future of distilled spirits.

What started in 2013 as bar‑room banter between mates had, by 2015, become the multi‑IWSC‑award‑winning Trevethan Distillery Original Dry Gin.

Developing Norman’s recipe unleashed a passion in John (pictured) which evoked the kind of ingenuity and perfectionism that often afflicts successful entrepreneurs. And it’s catapulted Trevethan Distillery from a Cornish success story to a global contender in the premium spirits market. Yet John feels he’s only just getting started.

‘I’ve always had an interest in spirits, particularly whisky, so I jumped at the chance to develop Norman’s recipe. I didn’t foresee success at the time; I just enjoyed the development process,’ he says.

When Trevethan Original Dry Gin started to win awards, it was a lightbulb moment for John. ‘I wondered what else I could achieve in this sector if I set my mind to it.’

In 2017, Trevethan became the first independent craft distillery to sell their product in Waitrose. It raised the profile of the brand nationally and opened the supermarket’s doors to other craft producers.

Shortly afterwards, John received a request from The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall to create a gin infused with its Heligan pineapples. He took the idea and turned it upside down; he created a rum.

‘Some of the processes used in rum and whisky production are similar, such as cask maturation. And I had a hunch that the flavour of the pineapples and black bee honey from Heligan would create an exceptional rum, so, with Heligan’s support, we went for it.’ Now Trevethan has three rums in its collection, and five gins. What’s more, John and his team have gained the vital dark‑spirit maturation expertise needed to expand into whisky production.

Despite Trevethan Distillery’s growing prominence ‑ it holds nine IWSC awards, including UK Gin Distillery of the Year in 2021 and a Gold Outstanding medal for its Original Dry Gin in 2022 ‑ John’s sights remain on high‑end rather than high‑volume spirits. In 2023, the distillery attracted the attention of international investors with an interest in Cornish innovation. They’ve backed his latest (top‑secret) development, which John believes could revolutionise ultra‑premium gin production.

‘We hope our next exciting evolution will further raise the profile of Trevethan Distillery and Cornwall on the global super‑premium spirits’ map.’ says John. ‘It will be a gamechanger in gin, and has the potential to enable me to take the distillery to the next level.’

Find out what John and the team have been working on in the Christmas issue of Food Lifestyle – subscribe now to make sure you get your hands on a copy on publication day.