Forget Glastonbury at Worthy Farm and instead celebrate down at Holmes Farm in Brindle where Nestival is the festival to be seen at. Brindle Distillery, makers of the award winning Cuckoo Gin, are once again opening their doors in August for the second Nestival - a three day event showcasing their Cuckoo’s Nest Bar.
Master distiller and owner, Mark Long, says they are looking forward to building on the success of the inaugural Nestival last year when it returns from August 2nd – 4th.
‘We don’t rest on our laurels,’ he says. ‘The distillery is there to produce gin but equally we have created our own bespoke venue the likes of which are not common anywhere in the country, never mind the North West.
“Nestival came about last year when we sat down as a team and looked at what opportunities there were to grow what we do. The team suggested a festival and, inspired by other local festivals, we thought we could do that. We’ve got the space and the customer base. Before we knew it, we had organised a festival and it was a really successful three days with music, drinks and food and a celebration of everything we do at Cuckoo’s Nest.’
The first Nestival sold out in record time and they have increased capacity this year to allow more visitors to Holmes Farm. Former Liberty X band member and current lead singer with Wet Wet Wet, Kevin Simm, will headline on the Saturday evening.
Mark is delighted to have Kevin Simm on the line-up. ‘He’s a Chorley lad and it is important to us to support local talent. Across the three days of Nestival we have brought in artists that we feature throughout the year along with other local bands. All the breweries we work with are local as well as the food vendors,’ explains Mark.
Holmes Farm is already a popular destination for people looking for a night out where they can enjoy quality drinks with entertainment and first-class customer service. Each Saturday the distillery is opened up as a bar. Mark says: ‘It is a bit like a tap room in a brewery and when people are driving down the back of the farm track to get here they realise just how rural a setting it is.’
Weekly music nights see up to 100 guests enjoy table service with a top local artist performing. ‘It really offers an evening of escape for people where they don’t have to think about anything. The atmosphere builds itself in the farm surroundings,’ adds Mark.
Supporting other local businesses is at the heart of what the team does at Brindle Distillery. At Nestival the breweries trading will be Rivington Brewery from Chorley, Wigan’s State of Kind Brewery, Three Bees from Blackburn and Preston’s Chain House Brewery. Artisan food stalls include Fratelli’s Pizza, Butcher Farrell and Manchester’s Waffle Kart.
‘Much like throughout the year, people coming to Nestival are looking for quality products and a great experience while they spend time with friends and family. They know they are spending their money supporting local independent businesses - that is key to everything we do,’ says Mike.
Nestival is the latest creation of Brindle Distillery where the team are constantly looking at ways to improve on, and grow, what they do. They introduced their signature gin, Cuckoo, when they first appeared on the drinks’ scene in June 2017 before opening their on-site bar, Cuckoo’s Nest later that year.
They have since started distillery tours, make your own gin workshops and launched their first rum and vodka as well as investing in a new bottling line. Music nights began in January 2022 and now Nestival looks set to be an unmissable date in their calendar.
Future plans include raising the profile of Cuckoo Gin to a wider audience as Mark explains. ‘We are still a regional brand and to grow that side of the business we need more national and international exposure. We are starting to work with retailers and as well as being stocked in all Booths’ stores in the North West, we have just launched into around 30 Asda stores and will be stocked by another national retailer later this summer. It is great that the national brands have started to see that we have got a product with a following and they believe in the quality of it and want it on their shelves.’
Back at Holmes Farm, the biggest praise for what they do is clear to Mark. It is the atmosphere they have created. ‘One of the things I love most is that we haven’t been infected by mobile phones - you rarely see anyone on their phone while they are here. Instead, you see everyone just chatting. It is a real old school environment and that makes me happy when I look out at everyone enjoying each other's company.’
Six refreshing seasonal drinks from around the county
House of Rum
House of Rum is an exciting new addition to the regional drinks scene and founder David Howarth is ‘flying the flag for rum’. Having spent many years living and working in the Caribbean, David has returned to his Manchester roots as a boutique rum bottler, sourcing rum from around the world offering it in its most natural, purest sense.
David says: ‘I have always done what I am passionate about and this really is a passion project. Each of our casks are unique and I want to help educate people that rum is equal to, or superior to, the spirits that they are drinking.’
house-of-rum.com
Grasmere Distillery
Using copper pot stills and the finest oak casks, Grasmere Distillery ferment and distill everything from beers to premium spirits. The small but mighty distillery is firmly embedded in its Cumbrian roots and its first commercially sold bottles of gin left the premises back in January 2023. Since then, the distillery’s gin and vodka is available to buy at more than 50 premises across the Lake District.
Grasmere Distillery also has a tap room and restaurant called The Good Sport which started serving beers and ciders in 2018. The Distillery followed four years later and they haven’t looked back since. grasmeredistillery.com
Dreaded Mead
Dreaded Mead is here because of Covid when the founder lost his job as a decorator during the pandemic. Buying a homebrewing kit with his final paycheck, Rochdale’s Mikey Foley started on the path to his new venture that saw him purchase a disused, dusty unit back in 2022 that has since been turned into a bright meadery. They now have stockists and 20 fermenters and sell everything from traditional mead to raspberry mead, a mixed berry mead and a Malawi mead which is a charity mead with money from each bottle going toward funding the rebuilding of a Malawi children’s home destroyed by floods.
dreadedmead.co.uk
Goosnargh Gin
Goosnargh Gin is the brainchild of Richard and Rachel Trenchard who founded the distillery at the foot of the Beacon Fell at the start of 2018.
They are multi-award winning and have previously featured on the Hairy Bikers Go North television series. They are a fiercely independent distillery and all their stockists are independent businesses who share their passion for quality.
You can make your own gin at Goosnargh at one of their three-hour workshops and you can even give it your own name! Foraging and distilling days are also available and they have just opened Trough at new Preston spot, Chew’s Yard, where you can feast on grazing boards and sip on their award-winning gins. goosnarghgin.co.uk
Gan Yam Brewery
Gan Yam Brewery is on the scene thanks to a group of school friends getting together and deciding to open their very own brewery and venue in Kendal. The independent brewery produces pale ales, IPAs, a Kendal Mint Stout and a juicy bitter - there is some real innovation with the flavours.
The tap room is available to hire for that special occasion making Gan Yam a real toast of the town. ganyambrew.co.uk
Neptune Brewery
Neptune Brewery has been brewing modern beers, inspired by tradition, since 2015. Beers from the Maghull-based brewers are naturally conditioned and unfined - ensuring the greatest flavour in each brew. Owners Julie and Les O’Grady swapped 25 years running a successful family aquatics company before hang up their fishing nets and picking up a mash paddle. Their beers are each given a name inspired by sea life, the ocean, and mythological creatures. neptunebrewery.com
