The First Ever Big Manx SLOE Drop!

29 September 2020

Please help us to collect enough Manx Sloes to make our first Fynoderee Manx Sloe Gin

There’s no better winter ‘snifter’ than a good warming nip of Sloe Gin and we hope to have our first ever 2020 bottling of “Fynoderee Manx Sloe Gin” ready for “Slaynt-ing” By the end of November (#christmaspresentalert!!)

BUT…. we need some help picking sloes!

Between now and Sunday 18^th October we’re accepting sloes in exchange for vouchers for Fynoderee Gin or Vodka*

When:  Mon-Fri between 10am and 4pm.  Other times by appointment – Please call our Forager Kevin Quayle on T. 412154   

Where to bring them?  

The Fynoderee Distillery, Rear Yard (Fyn-yard) on Tower Road, Ramsey. You will find us at our new distillery premises at the white brick warehouse building next to the MER tram stop. Please walk around the block to the rear access.

n.b. No parking at rear, please park in Plaza car park. 

Please bring:

Your fresh picked sloes! We will then add them to our overall harvest which we freeze before adding directly to a tank of high strength Fynoderee Winter Gin for maceration over the next 4-6 weeks. We are hoping that “The Frost Faerie” may help with an early Autumn nip as freezing them bursts the skins and speeds up the maceration process during which the colours and flavours infuse into the base gin.

Please bring your sloes in ‘bags for life’ that can be easily weighed by our team and please ensure you have removed any twigs, spikes and general hedgerow detritus.

We will give you Fynoderee Vouchers in return for use in our “soon to open” distillery shop:

1-5kg of Sloes = £5 Voucher

5kg – 8kg Sloes = £10 Voucher

8kg or more = £30 Voucher

We will be creating the 2020 Fynoderee Sloe Gin batch on Sunday 18^th October at 2pm - Everybody who has contributed sloes is welcome to come and watch the Sloes go in to the tank, give it a stir and make a Christmas wish!

We’ll have a steaming hot cup of Fynoderee Autumn gin punch (and a version for drivers) for you to sample as well!

 

Please remember:

Only collect Sloes from land that is yours or where you have permission of the landowner to forage! This includes seeking permission for foraging on public rights of way or public land, from the relevant owner, as the end use is commercial and this is otherwise prohibited under the Theft Act in the Isle of Man. Please ensure you pick well away from any pollutants (busy roads etc) and please don’t strip the bushes completely bare in any one spot – some species of  birds are partial to sloe berries too! For guidelines on sustainable foraging please see: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/things-to-do/foraging/foraging-guidelines/

 

Where to find Sloes?

Sloes are the fruit of the Blackthorn bush and can be found Island-wide in hedgerows.  They tend to grow in patches. One field may have a huge quantity of them, and another may have none at all so you may need to search about!  People can be quite secretive about where they pick their sloes so if you find a good patch – feel free to keep it to yourself!

Please only pick ripe sloes. When they are ready, they will be a deep inky blue colour and you should be able to squash them between your fingers.  The Blackthorn bush is covered with sharp spikes (the clue is in the name!) so wear protective clothing and you may need gloves.

IF YOU HAVE A PARTICULARY LARGE CROP OF SLOES ON YOUR LAND AND NEED ASSISTANCE PICKING THEN DO GET IN TOUCH AND WE WILL ASK OUR FORAGER KEVIN TO COME FOR A SKEET AND SEE WHAT ASSISTANCE WE CAN GIVE!

 

Can I bring other foraged fruit with me?

We are currently foraging for fresh blackberries and elderberries and would welcome any deliveries of these.  We don’t need damsons thank you – we have a large stock already.

 

If you have any queries about  “The Big Manx Sloe Drop” please contact Tiffany Kerruish (Co-founder) at tiffany@fynoderee.com or call 07624 433131

 

*Over 18s only.

 

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