A spectacular taste of Norfolk spirit
What’s your hoot? Take flight as we follow the story of King’s Lynn’s premier distillery, WhataHoot, serving brilliance and innovation in equal measure
Nestled on King Street in the heart of historic King’s Lynn is a small archway which leads, on centuries worn cobbles, to a traditional brick warehouse. Dating from the 16th century, this building is the home of WhataHoot Distillery.
The brainchild of Jason and Nicky Crown, WhataHoot began as a hobby business before developing with incredible pace to become the smart and sophisticated company we see today. With no previous experience in either the hospitality, brewing or distilling industry, Jason and Nicky set up WhataHoot after reaching a crossroads in life. Jason had just stepped back from his career in IT and Nicky from hers working within a national children’s charity, both wanting to start afresh and find increased fulfillment. “Whilst enjoying a gin and tonic we looked down and both thought, why can’t we do this?,” says Nicky. “Let’s try distilling our own gin.”
The name WhataHoot was born of their own mutual love of, and a sentimental personal connection with, owls. “Someone very special once said to me ‘you can do anything you want to if you put your mind to it’ and I carried this motto dearly throughout our journey,” says Nicky. The majestic sound of an owl’s hoot is instantly recognisable and many seek to ‘have a hoot’ on a night out, making ‘WhataHoot’ a most fitting and ingenious name.
The couple started out in a small barn in Flitcham with their original still, ‘Hootdini’, capable of producing 80 bottles of gin at a time. There were no shop facilities here, just a large room with their distilling equipment, into which local people would peek to acquire a bottle of gin or perhaps have an impromptu distillery tour. In May 2018 their Signature Dry Gin was introduced to the world. Created using botanicals inherent to Norfolk, lavender and samphire. With a piquant and floral quality, this gin captures the essence of our beautiful coastal county in a bottle.
A fashionable explosion in flavoured gin led to many distilleries opting to provide a pink variant. WhataHoot decided on a different path, launching their Tawny Orange gin in the spring of 2019, which is steeped in real oranges to give it an intense flavour and colour. Once the process is complete the fruit is then shared with local producers to create items such as preserves and fudge, meaning that the distillery runs at as close to zero surplus as possible. Feel good drinks which do good too.
The company’s success and continued growth compelled them to move to larger premises in January of 2020. Jason and Nicky already owned the warehouse in King’s Lynn where they set to work, opening in the August. They chose to celebrate by launching another tipple, Navy Strength Gin. King’s Lynn has very strong Naval connections, so it seemed appropriate. Navy Strength Gin is so called due to the increased alcohol percentage, meaning that gunpowder will still ignite if the gin is spilled over it.
With their two new stills up and running, ‘Owlbert’ and ‘Still-no-name’, they enhanced their range of spirits with a vodka and their raspberry and pink peppercorn gin which launched in April 2022. The vodka is created using locally grown sugar beet, a homage to the agricultural heritage of West Norfolk and a great way to support local produce. The raspberry and pink peppercorn gin is designed for those looking for a fruity flavour without any cloying artificial additives. The colour and taste of this dry gin comes from pure, natural ingredients. A variety of mixers can be used to bring sweetness, if desired, making this spirit deliciously versatile.
Such is their acclaim for distilling, WhataHoot now produce white label gin for other organisations - the most notable of which is the Sandringham Estate. They use botanicals grown on the estate itself such as persimmon planted in honour of the horse belonging to Edward VII and myrtle berries from a cutting of Queen Alexandra’s wedding bouquet. A genuine taste of royal history in every sip.
The company provides distillery tours, gin experiences and cocktail masterclasses to help encourage experimentation and finding fun within gin. The classes in particular have proven to be extremely popular; they now have a waiting list for some experiences, over 600 glowing online reviews and estimate they’ve taught over 1000 people how to make gin!
Their in-house bar, the Spirit Lounge, is a welcoming setting where visitors can come to enjoy the ambience of the warehouse with a quiet coffee alone, a relaxed business meeting or a gathering with friends. Jason and Nicky felt it was important to create a safe space where people could truly experience the spirit of WhataHoot, everyone is welcome.
Jason and Nicky have achieved an incredible amount in just five years and their enthusiasm should genuinely make visitors and gin fans eager to see their plans for the future. WhataHoot is an exciting local brand to watch, and their flight has only just begun.
