Struth! Hotel Awash with Gin a World Record

IN his continuing search for the more weird, wacky and wondrous in the world of travel, David Ellis says their enthusiasm for a good G&T has seen The Feathers Hotel at Woodstock in England’s Oxfordshire go into The Guinness Book of Records for having the world’s largest collection of different-label gins.

On the 1st of this month an adjudicator from Guinness took 45 minutes to count the 161 differently labelled bottles, and to then present General Manager, Jeremy Duplessis with an official Guinness World Record Certificate.

The hotel has taken three years to put its gin collection together, sourcing brands from countries as scattered as the UK itself, the USA, Japan, Poland, the Netherlands and Spain. They include a circa 1950 Italian Vincenzi that sells for GBP225 (AU$356) a bottle, and a Sir Robert Burnett’s 1960 White Satin London Distilled Dry Gin that despite its very-British sounding name actually comes from Kentucky in the USA and is GBP19.50 (AU$31) a glass.

For Jeremy Duplessis taking the record was “a great moment,” particularly he said, as the previous record was a mere one-third of that of The Feathers.

And after the official presentation he shouted guests to the hotel’s “Ultimate Gin & Tonic” – Blackwood’s 60% Vintage Gin topped up with Q (reputedly the world’s most exotic tonic water,) and chilled with ice cubes made from the waters of a local spring.

To learn more about The Feathers go to www.thefeathers.co.uk.  And check out their GBP75 (AU$119) Gin Experience Tasting Menu – seven courses with a different gin for every course – at  the same time, maybe also checking how much a room costs rather than attempting to drive home.

(Photos captions:

[] Mr Duplessis receives The Guinness World Record Certificate from Guinness adjudicator, Jack Brockbank – photo The Feathers.

[] The Feathers Hotel, Woodstock – photo Catherine Hudson.)