Brindle Distillery turns a family farm into the home of Cuckoo Gin

In the village of Brindle, near Chorley, anyone born and raised locally is known as a Brindle Cuckoo. It is a nickname that comes from an old folk tale, and it has given its name to one of Lancashire's most successful craft spirits: Cuckoo Gin, made at Brindle Distillery on Holmes Farm.

The story goes that villagers once built a wall around a field where the first cuckoo of spring had settled, hoping that keeping it in the village would bring good farming weather all year. Sadly the wall was not built high enough and the cuckoo flew away. The distillery has embraced the legend in naming its spirits.

Holmes Farm has been in the Singleton family for more than 100 years. Gerrard Singleton, the second generation, farmed the land for over 40 years, and in June 2017 he and his son-in-law Mark Long started the distillery. With independent farming facing a national downturn, they decided to diversify while still making use of the land.

Their aim was to keep the farm in the family for future generations and to bring jobs and tourism to the area. The farm runs through every bottle. Gerrard harvested barley from the fields around the farm to make the base spirit, and the distillery uses its own spring water. Cuckoo Sunshine Gin is made with honey produced on the farm by Lancashire honeybees, managed by The Bee Centre.

The copper still is named Maggie, after a great aunt Margaret who was said to be something of a gin connoisseur, and it is housed in a renovated barn.

The awards followed quickly. Cuckoo Sunshine won Best Flavoured Gin at the 2018 Gin Guide Awards, Solace was named Craft Gin Club's Gin of the Year 2021, and Cuckoo Supernova, a grapefruit gin, won double gold at the San Francisco Spirits Competition in 2022. A share of proceeds from every bottle of Solace goes to Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust.

Today the range takes in gins, rum, vodkas and bottled cocktails, and visitors can take tours, join workshops or relax at The Cuckoo's Nest, the distillery bar, which also serves craft ales produced on site.

Brindle Distillery is at Holmes Farm in Brindle. Tours, workshops and visits to The Cuckoo's Nest can be booked through the distillery.