Grumpy Frog Ltd. began in 2016, founded by Bill Buckley and Rupert Wyles. They produce a stunning range of spirits, known as Spirit of Ilmington.

Ilmington, a village in the Cotswolds, was once made up of farms, each with an orchard. Farm workers enjoyed a steady supply of free cider, a perk of the job. Additionally, the village was famous for its cider and the wonderful varieties of old apples.

One treasure in the village church is an embroidered Apple Map, which lists all the apple varieties and copies old maps showing the orchards’ locations.

Today, many farms and outbuildings have become houses, with gardens containing parts of old orchards. In 2014, Bill and Rupert started making cider to use the apples left to rot, which had become a nuisance for homeowners.

Each autumn, locals bring apples in exchange for cider, or Bill and Rupert collect apples from larger orchards. They crush and press the apples with a hydropress, producing 50 litres of juice at a time. Consequently, the juice ferments slowly, readying the cider by the New Year.

The cider, first made in Frog Lane, got the name “Grumpy Frog” after merging a parallel street name, Grump Street.

After making cider, Bill and Rupert moved to distilling it in 100-litre batches using a beautiful copper alembic pot still. This pot still produces a mellow and smooth spirit with no harshness or burn. As a result, they created Spirit of Ilmington Apple Brandy.

Spirit of Ilmington products started using EAN-13 barcodes from Barcode1 UK in 2019, and it has been wonderful to see the range grow.