About
Dabber's Gin

Perfect Serve: 50ml Dabber's Gin over ice, or pair with 100ml Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic.

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Dabber's Gin is very special limited edition run of 45% ABV gin, aged in English virgin oak barrels.

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Using virgin oak, which has not held another spirit before, has given our signature Nantwich Gin spirit a toasty, vanilla taste, with hints of orchard apple and warming Christmas spice.

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This gin nods to the industrial history of Nantwich and celebrates our towns locals and true Dabbers. The meaning behind the phrase ‘Dabber’ is widely debated amongst locals. Although it refers to somebody born within the ancient boundaries of Nantwich, we needed to find out more about the etymology of the word. Why are Nantwich Dabbers called Dabbers? What does the phrase really mean?

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Here are some of the theories we have come across:

• Dabbing salt on the tongue - from the town’s historic brine industry.

• A link to Nantwich’s tannery history.

• A reference to the act of dabbing glue onto a shoe during its manufacture.

• A reference to wattle and daub - a building method used for early Tudor and Georgian buildings.

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We are fans of the wattle and daub theory - the etymology definition refers to: ‘influenced by French dauber (see daub). Related: Dabbed; dabbing; dabber.’ (https://www.etymonline.com/).

 

However - we wanted to represent all of the theories we’d heard whilst gathering research on the label.

The brickwork represents the divide between ideas, but also offers a nod to the industrial history of Nantwich: EG the tanneries, the mill and local red-brick architecture.

Look closely - you might notice subtle colour changes in the beams and the lighter white areas (wattle and daub). The beams take you through time, starting as a wood colour at the bottom of the label, and progressing up to the sharp contrast of black that we see on local buildings today.

Of course, we needed to feature our two casks in a colour representative of their virgin oak states. Sat on top of the left barrel is a personal touch for us - our rescue cat named Thor. (It’s got to be done!)

The 45 beside the building’s door represents the aged gin’s ABV (alcohol before volume) percentage.

Lastly, our reference to ‘dab hands’ underneath is not only a nod to the above theories and craftsmanship, but also to our founding director Paul, who is a true Dabber.

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We recommend enjoying this aged tipple over ice, or pairing it with Fever Tree's Mediterranean tonic. We're not too keen on adding a garnish - however, some very wise friends have suggested enjoying Dabber's alongside gingerbread or a tasty ginger cake.