BL-24 - Flipbook - Page 78
ENTREPRENEURS
It was a risky project with high costs,
and plenty of things to go wrong,
from construction issues around the
new tunnel to actually obtaining the
fantastic replicas, but with persistence,
it all came together and has made a
valuable contribution to the Castle
building and wider estate.
Little did we know that Highclere
would be chosen as the location for
a new show to be called Downton
Abbey. In 2010 it would introduce
the Castle to a global audience and the
building itself become a much-loved
character in its 昀椀ctional world.
“Persistence, willingness to
adapt and think anew has
kept us in the game and, we
hope, on into the future.”
It gave us a chance to develop a
brand, and Fiona got this idea off
to a 昀氀ying start with her New York
Times bestseller Lady Almina and
the Real Downton Abbey relating
how Almina (née Rothschild) was
such a powerhouse of energy, turning
Highclere into a proper hospital in
WWI. Further books have followed,
with The Earl & the Pharoah and now
A Year at Highclere, the most recent.
Highclere Castle Gin is a joint venture
with friends in the USA. We worked
around the citrus in our Orangery and
lavender in the Monks’ Garden to
construct an authentic new London
Dry gin that re昀氀ected the long history
of entertaining at Highclere but was
also unique in aspects of smoothness
and 昀氀avour.
After many test versions and some
frustration, we were nearly there. Only
when we added a small amount of our
rolled oats into the botanical process
did we achieve the very smooth taste
which has won over 200 Gold &
Platinum awards. The bottle presented
challenges to achieve its now wellknown design with the translucent
purple/blue colour. Launched in the
autumn of 2019, it was too close to the
start of Covid in March 2020.
Lord Carnarvon and Lady Fiona in the library of Highclere Castle
Quickly adapting, we started a series
of virtual cocktail parties, telling
stories and making cocktails, even
using our much-loved Arab pony
Phoebe who starred in our virtual
party on the east lawns in June 2020,
with an online audience of over
80,000.
This project emphasised the need to
adapt and move on and try to link
up marketing between the different
elements of the Estate. The gin
produced a meeting in Nicaragua
which led to two beautiful Highclere
Castle Cigars now sold across the
USA, and some Cigar Bars now stock
both Highclere Gin (often drunk
on the rocks) and the Victorian and
Edwardian Highclere Cigar brands.
Fiona, Countess of Carnarvon
78
BOISDALELIFE.COM
ISSUE 24
Our Instagram account began in a
small way, but during Covid (like
everyone else) we faced a massive loss
of customers and business. It became
the way forward, communicating all
the best of Highclere in pictures and
videos. From hilarious beginnings
with both Instagram and Facebook
Live the wrong way up or a bit shaky,
practice and using the new video edit
apps has allows us to become our own
little production company.
Highclere is a huge responsibility with
so much history, but Fiona and I have
loved every minute over the last 22
years, even if some months there were
some serious bumps in the road (and
potential crashes). But persistence,
willingness to adapt and think anew
has kept us in the game and, we hope,
on into the future.
