Standing at 1,689 feet above sea level in amongst Macclesfield Forest is the UK’s highest altitude whisky distillery, home to a cosy pub and award-winning whisky and gin made from locally foraged ingredients. The Cat & Fiddle pub was recently restored to its former glory, and the distillery and pub is more than ready to welcome the masses who manage to make their way up there.
Up here in this corner of the Peak District, there’s not much in the way of civilisation. No coffee shops (no shops of any description, actually), no restaurants, no train stations. But there is, weirdly, a pretty unusual boozer, perched way up high on the aptly named Cat & Fiddle Road.
In 1813 a local silk merchant called John Ryle purchased a plot of land next to a brand new turnpike road. Upon this plot, he built a beautiful, warm, cosy haven where weary travellers could enjoy a drink and a bite to eat. The weather at this location was often inclement, and Mr Ryle’s Inn soon became a necessary stop when travelling between the towns of Macclesfield and Buxton. He named his Inn, The Cat & Fiddle.
Those who make the trip up to this remote pub nowadays, with sweeping views of the national park, are treated to a cosy bar, cracking cocktails, and a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how the Forest Distillery crafts its gin and whisky.
The Forest Distillery is a small, family-run business at The Cat & Fiddle, that creates unique and flavourful spirits using locally sourced organic ingredients and pure natural spring water. What makes their spirits even more special is that the ingredients are wild foraged, adding to their one-of-a-kind taste, and they are distilled in small batches to ensure the highest quality.
The Forest Distillery story began in 2014 when Lindsay and Karl Bond began home distilling tiny batches of spirits from the kitchen table in their home next to Macclesfield Forest. These initial distillations were purely for the couple’s own enjoyment, so they threw in handfuls of berries, mosses and ferns which their six-year-old daughter, Harriet, had foraged from the forest and surrounding hills.
Their distilling methods have of course moved on from that time, but Forest Distillery still employs those foraging skills for their spirits, giving them a distinctly local taste. Their Forest Distillery London Dry Gin is the only gin to win two separate double-gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirit Awards in the same year, and was selected as one of the World’s Best 50 Gins − pretty impressive stuff.
The Cat & Fiddle just so happens to have an extensive network of cellars at more than 1,600 feet above sea level with the most perfect conditions for whisky to mature, so the two coming together in 2019 seemed like a bizarre twist of fate. The pub reopened after a community fundraiser and restoration, and is still run in collaboration with Manchester’s own Robinsons Brewery, as it has done since 1931.
There is also a shop onsite, stocking one-of-a-kind goodies and keepsakes, distillery products and locally sourced goods, whether you’re gifting yourself or a special someone. The team holds regular tours around the distillery too, so customers can have a sneak peek at the behind the scenes of gin and whisky making in this unique environment − you can book a tour here.
If you fancy a jaunt up the hill for a unique day out, The Cat & Fiddle is most definitely worth the trip and is roughly an hour’s drive from Manchester.
📍 The Cat & Fiddle is located at Macclesfield Forest, Cheshire SK11 0AR.