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Castle Rock Brewery certainly have plenty to celebrate this month. Not only did they win the Sustainable Tourism Award at the Nottinghamshire Hospitality STARS Awards, but the Canalhouse scooped the prestigious Tourism Pub of the Year Award. We can’t resist dropping by for a chat; the Sustainable Tourism Award is arguably the most important of all and we’re intrigued to know how they did it.

We meet with Liv Auckland, Brand and Communications Manager, and Pete McWilliam, Head of Property, Maintenance and Technical Services.

We took a trip to Redsmith Distillery to find out more about the award-winning gin crafted here in the heart of Nottingham and get an exclusive taste of the new Outlaw Gin.

We met up with creator Wayne Asher at the small but perfectly formed distillery in Sneinton Market, where he regaled us with tales about how he took his first steps in the world of spirit making, a far cry from his former career in aerospace and aircraft engines. Following a stint as plumbing and heating engineer he was looking for new challenge and began searching for a project which would bring him joy, and a product which could bring joy to others. Inspired by a documentary on Sip-Smith distillery in London and their pioneering work with HMRC to legalise small scale distilleries, he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve.

Ahead of the Robin Hood Beer and Cider Festival opening on Wednesday (17 October), we grabbed five minutes with the festival organiser, Steve for some quick fire questions – he’s a busy man!

Unique to Nottingham, with ties to local distillers and inspired by Sherwood Forest, Castle Gate Gin was born in 2017, with its sister flavour, No.17 Castle Gate - a mix imbued with strawberry and lavender following in early 2018. We went along to Weavers Independent Wine & Spirit Merchants to discover more...

Blending opulence with modern simplicity, Merchant's Restaurant is the statement piece of the Lace Market Hotel, offering contemporary fine-dining and some deliciously creative dishes. Situated in an impressive Georgian building which was previously a doctors residence, the hotel has elegant period features such as original sash windows, fireplaces and a quirky layout. After being completely restored and modernised in recent years, both the Lace Market Hotel and the Merchants Restaurant are now full of artistic character and contemporary design.

During Hart's 20th anniversary year, the restaurant has showcased two tasting menus, which have been incredibly popular with new and old customers alike. So, when they were asked to showcase another tasting menu having just been awarded two AA rosettes for culinary excellence, Hart's thought this was perfect timing!