5 minutes with… Dominic M’Benga from The Hooting Owl
5 minutes with… Dominic M’Benga from The Hooting Owl
5 minutes with… • Summer 2021
As a genuine bunch of Gin lovers, the Y&H team was delighted to spend five minutes chatting with Dominic M’Benga, owner of The Hooting Owl Distillery based in the Yorkshire Wolds. We wanted to learn more about his range of top-quality spirits inspired by an interesting story and Historic Battle Honours.
Dom, tell us all about The Hooting Owl
“My wife Sarah and I started the business in 2017 following the purchase and refurbishment of our Yorkshire manor house at Barmby Moor for our retirement”.
As we refurbished the old scullery, we came across a concealed floor safe that had belonged to a former resident Sir Owlfred Tyton Hodgkins. Inside the safe, they discovered a single bottle of Sir Owlfred’s Hooting Owl Signature Gin and a book of secret recipes dating back to 1865. It was then that we decided to draw inspiration from the book and the Yorkshire based recipes to distil a range of high-quality artisan spirits in the location it had first begun. And retirement was over!
Tell us more about the Gin you distil
For us, Gin is about individual taste. There are over 300 Gins currently available on the UK market; it can be tricky to find one that’s the exact flavour you are looking for. We can create a unique bespoke or white label Gin, or you can choose from our range of flavours.
We also run a Gin school where we take visitors through producing their own Gin using their preferred botanical flavours. Whether you want to infuse your favourite fruit or a combination of herbs and spices, we will develop a Gin that perfectly fits the bill. We can also store the recipe and method in our safe for ordering in the future, which is not available to anyone else.
To find out more about The Hooting Owl distillery and order their delicious artisan Gins and other spirits, visit the website at www.hootingowldistillery.co.uk
