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Apple vodka produced by artisan press and distillery Spirit of Ilmington gets a plug from Alan Titchmarsh




VILLAGERS from Ilmington are ‘thrilled’ their apple spirit vodka will star on national TV alongside Alan Titchmarsh.

The drink, made using local apples, was dubbed “delicious” and has “gone down a treat” with the celebrity gardener,’ who’ll be quaffing it on an upcoming episode of his popular Sunday morning show Love Your Weekend.

The apple vodka’s produced by artisan press and distillery ‘Spirit of Ilmington’, which also makes an apple brandy similar to calvados, damson, raspberry and rhubarb gin, apple-spiced rum and four fruit liqueurs.

Bill Buckley, pictured with Spirit of Ilmington’s copper alembic still, makes the vodka with his business partner Rupert Wyles. Photo: Mark Williamson
Bill Buckley, pictured with Spirit of Ilmington’s copper alembic still, makes the vodka with his business partner Rupert Wyles. Photo: Mark Williamson

The brains behind the operation are Ilmington residents Bill Buckley and Rupert Wyles.

Bill, a retired accountant in his 80s, moved to Ilmington from London nine years ago and was intrigued to learn the village is renowned for its orchards and heritage apples.

He quickly struck up a friendship with Rupert, 71, who’d recently stepped back from running his family’s wine merchant business Bablake Wines, and they began making cider together to use some of the apples that would otherwise have been left to rot.

What started as a hobby, quickly blossomed into a successful enterprise.

Bill and Rupert have no idea how Alan Titchmarsh or the ITV programme’s researchers discovered a taste for their apple vodka.

The first they knew was when someone from the production team contacted them to ask if they’d like their vodka to be on the show?

Bill told the Herald: “We said ‘Yes, thank you very much.

“We’re thrilled our vodka will feature on ITV's Love Your Weekend programme.

“They told us our vodka was delicious and that it’s gone down a treat with Alan and guests.”

Bill and Rupert don’t make much cider now but their apple-spirit, which took months of trial and error to perfect,.

Apples are crushed and the juice extracted using a hydropress, while distillation is done using a copper alembic pot still, imported from Portugal.

The other fruit-infused drinks are made with fruit grown in the Vale of Evesham.

The drinks are sold at several outlets across Warwickshire and the Cotswolds including Stratford garden centre, Burford garden centre, Ilmington village store, the Howard Arms pub, Lower Clopton farm shop, Sheldon’s in Shipston, Moreton wine merchants in Moreton in Marsh, Fillet and Bone in Chipping Campden, The Eight Bells in Chipping Campden, Michael’s restaurant in Chipping Campden and the Broadway Deli.

They’re also supplied to pubs, bars, hotels, cafes and restaurants by Bourton-based distributor The Craft Drink Company and Haselor-based wholesaler Inn Express, and they can also be bought online via the Spirit of Ilmington website.

Bill says he and Rupert and fellow villagers will watch the Love Your Weekend episode, due to be aired on 1st October, together.

As to what made their apple vodka catch the attention of Alan Titchmarsh and the programme makers, Bill added: “I think it's different, and people are always looking for something different.”



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