the Adventurous Spirit

Phil Kite

Rower
Buy Rowers Gin

The Inspiration

Phil Kite’s life changed overnight following a conversation over a garden fence. It led to him rowing on the Tyne, the Thames, off the UK coast and 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

 Rowers Gin, the adventurous spirit, was inspired by his love of rowing in all its forms and the people he has met along the way, those who do it for fun, for the physical and mental challenge, or for the records.

Phil Kite would describe himself as an ordinary, slightly over middle aged, bloke. Born in the Middle East, educated in Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, and Newcastle upon Tyne, he qualified as an accountant and spend many years running heavy engineering businesses. Until aged 39 rugby was his main sport, at which he was less than average, and then he spent ten years as a couch potato focusing primarily on work. Phil was then invited to Henley Royal Rowing Regatta by some good friends and in the beer tent told everyone that one day he would take up the sport and row at the Royal Regatta.
The first part came true when a conversation over the garden fence led to his business becoming one of the main sponsors of Tyne Rowing Club. Since then, Phil has rowed on the Tyne, winning the Rutherford Head, won gold at the British Masters (non-championship), rowed on the Thames at the Vesta Head and taken part in the British Rowing Coastal Rowing Championships at Studland Bay.
In 2018 he led a team that rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in a world record time for a mixed four, in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Sadly, now aged 61, the second part, rowing at Henley Royal Regatta, looks beyond reach.
To date, through his rowing adventures, Phil has helped raise £46,350 for Charity, supporting Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care, the Stroke Association, St Oswald’s Hospice and Mind. During the Covid lock down he rowed in his Garage for Charity for 14 days, rowing 2 hours on 2 hours off, covering 1,075,000 metres.

Rowing, in all its forms, has given Phil so much that he wanted to celebrate the sport by creating Rowers Gin, made from botanicals found on our riverbanks, our coastlines, and the ocean that surround us. A gin reflecting our rowing heritage and our Adventurous Spirit.

Adventures to Date

2018 - 2019 - Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge – Guinness World Record for the fastest crossing by a Mixed Four in 42 days 10 hours and 26 minutes www.TeamTyneInnovation.com

2022 - 2023 - Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge – Completed in 45 days 1 hour and 54 minutes with Team Emotive in support of Veterans at Ease, the mental health charity.  www.team-emotive.co.uk

Future Adventures

? – The Northwest Passage Expedition – An attempt to be the first to row the Arctic’s Northwest Passage

Rowers Gin

Rowers Gin, the adventurous spirit, is inspired by all you Rowers out there. Those who do it for fun, for the physical and mental challenge, or for the records

Rowers Small Batch Gin 70cl

Adventurers Drinks Co.

Rowers Small Batch Gin 70cl

Adventurers Drinks Co.
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Rowers Gin is made in small batches, at the Kirkjuvagr Distillery in Orkney, whose own brand celebrate their Viking heritage.

Created on the classical foundations of juniper and coriander together with angelica and citrus, it reflects its rowing backstory with its unique flavour coming from the botanicals found on our riverbanks, coast, and the ocean that surrounds us.

Meadowsweet, in abundance along riverbanks with creamy flower heads, offers a bewitching sweet aroma, reminding us of summer regattas. Rock samphire, found on our coast gives an incredibly concentrated burst of flavour, reminiscent of those crashing waves. Sugar kelp, found in the Atlantic Ocean that surrounds us, gives a soft slightly sweet maritime flavour, with a gentle saltiness, bringing memories of those ocean crossings.

Together, these amazing botanicals, create a gin reflecting our rowing heritage and our Adventurous Spirit

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The Adventurous Spirit

Gin has a long association with adventure, especially on water. As far back as 1829 Booth’s Gin was the sponsor of the adventurer John Ross, who took his ship, Victory, to the Arctic. 

In the 19th Century the British Navy found themselves traveling across the world to destinations where unfortunately malaria was prevalent. They brought quinine to help prevent the disease and as it tasted awful, Indian Tonic Water was used to make it palatable. Gin accompanied the sailors on these voyages, being in fashion at the time and making a better cargo than beer, as the latter quickly spoiled. Eventually the two liquids were combined to form what is now the classic gin cocktails. Limes were added due to their anti-scurvy properties, thus birthing the term limey, a name for sailors.

It therefore appears appropriate for gin to be the perfect spirit to celebrate the sport and adventures of rowing, whether on a river, off the coast or on an ocean.

Small Batch Gin

Rowers Gin is made in small batches, at the Kirkjuvagr Distillery in Orkney, whose own brand celebrate their Viking heritage. 

Unique Flavour

Created on the classical foundations of juniper and coriander with angelica and citrus together with the botanicals found on our riverbanks, coasts, and the Atlantic Ocean that surrounds us, its unique flavour reflects its rowing backstory.

Riverbanks, Coast & Oceans

The gins rowing pedigree comes from Meadowsweet, in abundance along riverbanks with creamy flower heads, that offers a bewitching sweet aroma, reminding us of summer regattas. Rock samphire, found on our coasts gives an incredibly concentrated burst of flavour, reminiscent of those crashing waves. Sugar kelp, found in the Atlantic Ocean that surround us, gives a soft slightly sweet maritime flavour, with a gentle saltiness, bringing memories those ocean crossings.