The Castle’s Story
The Man and the Making
Castle Freke Gin is the manifestation of Stephen Evans-Freke’s vision – an elixir crafted at Castle Freke, his family’s ancestral home for over four centuries. Castle Freke was an abandoned ruin, forlorn and brooding, until Stephen bought it back into the family in 1999, and set about its rebirth five years later.
A connoisseur of the dry martini since his college days at Cambridge, Stephen has spent over ten years perfecting a gin for the Dry Martini connoisseur, a true ‘sipping gin’ of unparalleled elegance. Stephen has poured the same passion, precision and artistry exhibited in the entire castle restoration project into this unique gin, inspired by both the legacy of his home and the timeless, haunting beauty of its setting looking out over the ferocious shores of Ireland’s West Cork.
Gin Inspired by Ancient Myths
and Legacy
The restoration of Castle Freke is more than a physical undertaking; it is a poetic act, woven with the stories, myths, and legends of the land it rises from. Castle Freke’s soul is a blend of ancient mystery and melancholic beauty, standing as a testament to the mystical spirit of old Ireland – untamed, deeply rooted, anchored by unflinching resilience in the face of adversity.
Castle Freke gazes out from its hilltop over a landscape of enchantment, where the trees are sculpted by the unrelenting Atlantic storms and its wild, elemental energy infuses both nature and human endeavour. The pure spring water drawn from its wells and the fragrant myrtle growing wild along the demesne avenues, along with the finest organic junipers from Tuscany and Macedonia and some thirty rare botanicals believed by ancient apothecaries to offer therapeutic properties, all come together to capture the essence of the estate in every sip of Castle Freke Gin.
Myths & Symbolism
Even the bottle itself speaks of this legacy – the sculpted wind-bent copper tree, the meticulously crafted stopper fashioned after the Carbery Celtic Cross standing on Crochna Hill across from the Castle, the iconography derived from Castle Freke’s interiors, including the Ouroboros, the Flower of Life, and the Pentacle of Hearts – each detail is a tribute to the grandeur and soul of the estate’s restoration.
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FLOWER OF LIFE
Sacred geometry linking all at Castle Freke, including Castle Freke Gin, to the harmony of creation and the beauty of proportion.
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PENTACLE OF HEARTS
This ancient symbol combines sacred geometry with emotional intelligence guided by love — a quiet alignment between mind, spirit and creativity.
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Ouroboros
The Ouroboros represents the eternal cycle of creation through birth, death and renewal; it speaks to the rebirth of Castle Freke, and the constant pursuit of perfection that has created Castle Freke Gin.
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CASTLE FREKE TREE
Shaped by raging Atlantic storms, the Castle Freke tree symbolises the grace, resilience, and rootedness of the Evans-Freke family, bending but never breaking.
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The Celtic Cross
The Carbery High Cross that stands atop Croachna Hill across the valley from Castle Freke, looking out over the wild coastal scenery and off-shore islands of West Cork.
