When a shared obsession with single malt took hold in their 20s, Craig Johnson and Mel Davies traded their city careers for a life of mash bills and copper stills. Their gamble centred on a century-old former bank and a crumbling butchery shop, which they stumbled on by chance. Fourteen years on, the butchery houses the stills, tanks and maturing barrels, while the bank’s redbrick interior serves as the cellar door.

Here, they pour traditional English-style ales alongside an evolving stable of spirits, from flagship whiskies to artisanal gin and rum. While Johnson enjoys guiding customers through the range, he admits a soft spot for the Boilermaker – a pairing of dark ale and matching whisky in alternating sips. “I really enjoy the interplay of flavours when they riff off each other on the palate,” he says.

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