Spirit of the Chiefs

By Mark Stevens
15/2/18

On the pitch Exeter Chiefs have shown they have a potent mix when it comes to life in the Aviva Premiership.

However, it seems off the field Devon's finest have been serving up an equally satisfying blend when they swapped their training ground at Sandy Park for that of the award-winning Salcombe Distilling Company.

First team stars Phil Dollman, Nic White, Olly Woodburn and Jack Yeandle, together with club chairman and chief executive, Tony Rowe OBE, used their charisma and flair to raise the bar creating delicious Salcombe Gin cocktails.

After which it was then head-to-head in a play-off to design and develop their very own bottle of gin at the Salcombe Gin School.

Tony said: “As someone who is partial to the odd drop of gin now and again, it was fantastic for myself and the players to get a real insight into how they make Salcombe Gin. Not only did we find the trip hugely informative, but to then get the chance to distill our own was great fun.

“Salcombe Gin, I know, is popular amongst those who visit Sandy Park, not just for match-days with our new Gin & Fizz Bar, but also for the many functions, dinners and events we host. And it’s great that we have such a fantastic product available right here on our doorstep here in Devon.”

Salcombe Gin head distiller, Jason Nickels, who helped oversee the visit of the Chiefs, added: “Each of the team took charge of a mini-copper still in our distilling laboratory, choosing from over 100 botanicals to create their unique gin recipe. As you would expect, they were all highly competitive, seeking perfection at every stage of the process, but we also had a lot of fun along the way.

"Walnuts were a dominant flavour in Tony’s gin and Jack used coffee in his, resulting in some awesome espresso martinis shaken in the distillery bar afterwards."