MORE than 1,200 guests raised a glass at Colchester’s first Great British ever two-day gin festival.

The Great British Gin Festival took place at Charter Hall in Cowdray Avenue, Colchester, and more than 100 different gins from around the world were on offer.

Guests could top up with their complimentary gin glass and listen to talks and demonstrations from experts, as well as enjoy live entertainment.

Event manager, Nikki England, said it was a huge success despite one of the acts being caught in the snow on the way down.

She said: “The event was a sell out with 1,200 people attending across the day.

“There was lots of positive feedback especially in regards to the cocktail demonstration.

“Unfortunately one of our bands got stuck in the snow, so we had live music from a soloist and pianist who did a great job under the unavoidable circumstances.”

Some new gins were also released in the town, including the new Whitley Neill range - with the JJ Whitley Pink Cherry proving very popular.

Nikki added: “We had the last ten bottles sold of the limited edition Dreadnought Mary Rose Gin by HMS Spritis - there are only 100 bottles in circulation in total.

“Brands and exhibitors in attendance were Halewood, Whitley Neill, HMS Spirits, the Ely Gin Company, and Arber Gin and Empress Gin.”