A WHERWELL-based company has got together with a start-up business to create its own gin.

Wherwell-based engineering sales company Diesel Marine Group has teamed up with start-up Test Valley Gin, based in Andover, to create ‘N-Gin’ – a bespoke company gin.

Kate Griffin, founder of Test Valley Gin and the creator of N-Gin, was asked to develop a flavour which reflected the spark and bang of the combustion process – she used the citrusy spark of lemon grass and slow burning heat of Sichuan pepper.

The unique taste of N-Gin will be enjoyed by customers around the world who will receive a bottle from Diesel and Marine Group this Christmas.

The company held an in-house competition to name the drink, involving their staff in Wherwell, Lincoln, Newcastle, and elsewhere around the world.

N-Gin is the first bespoke product Test Valley Gin has produced for a business.

Kate said: “I really like it. It’s fresh, it’s local and it’s natural.”

A teacher by profession, Kate launched Test Valley Gin in February when looking for more flexible work after the birth of her daughter.

Gin infusion is also a craft that runs in the family.

Kate added: “My mother has always made sloe gin, so I’ve kind of grown up with it. It got to the point where I just thought, ‘why not give it a go?’”

Test Valley Gin produces everything by hand, from sterilising the bottles to sticking on the labels, all from a kitchen in the family home with no machinery.

Though N-Gin will not be available for public sale, original Test Valley Gin can be purchased from Rosebourne in Weyhill and the Waitrose farm shop in Leckford.