About Adam von Gootkin

Adam Von Gootkin is a lifelong entrepreneur in the spirits business and the CEO and Co-Founder of Highclere Castle Gin, a prestigious international award-winning gin brand. 

Highclere Castle Gin was founded in 2019 to produce the finest gin worldwide. This premium gin honors uniquely British traditions and celebrates Highclere Castle’s commitment to agriculture by using botanicals harvested from the estate. Over four years, Adam and the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, who own and manage Highclere Castle, crafted the perfect gin recipe to accomplish this. 

Today, Highclere Castle Gin has offices at Highclere Castle in the United Kingdom and the beautiful village of Essex, Connecticut, in the United States. 

Why Highclere Castle Was the Perfect Launching Point

Adam created a partnership with the Earl of Carnarvon and Highclere Castle, which is famous for being the location where Downtown Abbey was filmed. 

Adam shares, “What fascinated me about Highclere Castle is that it’s a fully functioning working estate, quintessentially British, about an hour and a half west of London. On the inside of the castle, you’ve got this beautiful history of hospitality, and [the castle] hosts the world’s most famous and fascinating people, royalty, celebrities, statesmen, and scientists.”

Many cocktail parties at Highclere Castle begin with gin cocktails, with Carnarvon family archives stored within the castle referencing gin cocktails as far back as the early 1900s. 

The outside of Highclere Castle is a luxurious 5,000 acres surrounded by stunning botanicals, some of which are the recipe components for gin. Juniper has grown wild on the estate for ages and creates the flavor backbone of Highclere Castle Gin. 

The combination of the Highclere Castle’s history of creating gin cocktails and the juniper growing wild on the property make it the perfect place for a spirits brand to launch. 

Adam explains, “It seemed very obvious to me that this was the most perfect place in the world to launch a spirits brand from, the reason for that being the authenticity, the true history, luxury, and we can do it in a craft style using the botanicals right there on the estate.”

Recently, Highclere Castle Gin began partnering with Patricia Altshul to increase brand awareness. 

Who is Patricia Altshul?

Patricia Altshul is an American socialite, art collector, and famous personality on the Bravo show Southern Charm. Gin is Patricia’s go-to spirit, making the collaboration between her and Highclere Castle Gin a perfect combination. 

Adam shares, “We are always looking for very genuine, complimentary brand ambassadors – people that are passionate about spirits and gin and entertainment and elegance and all the things that fit our brand. We felt that Patricia was very much that.”

Partnering with Patricia Altshul

Adam explained that the partnership began as a friendship, and they’ve been collaborating ever since. Their campaigns aim to boost brand awareness since Highclere Castle Gin is a newer brand. 

Adam is looking forward to future initiatives with Patricia, including an opportunity for Adam to co-host a Highclere Castle Gin cocktail party at Patricia’s stunning home in Charleston as a show segment for Southern Charm.

”We’re going to throw a cocktail party with Highclere Castle Gin as an homage to his majesty, the King, having just taken the throne and, of course, to celebrate the legacy of her Majesty’s passing.”

Successful Campaigns

The Highclere Castle Gin team has had a fun time partnering with Patricia. One of their most successful campaigns with her was on Instagram, where she posed with a bottle of their gin. This post generated hundreds of thousands of views. She also shared with her followers about her favorite cocktail recipes and how she likes to use Highclere Castle Gin in her recipes. 

Adam shares that the Highclere Castle Gin Instagram page reposted Patricia’s content, which helped them to continue growing their following and generate more excitement around their product. 

Another campaign featured a discount code for the gin, which Patricia shared on her social media. The code generated thousands of sales and created massive brand awareness. 

Adam explains that these campaigns aimed to “convert people from other gin and spirit brands, [so they] can explore and really appreciate the passion that we’ve put into Highclere Castle Gin. Most importantly, the flavor and why we are on track right now to be the most awarded gin in the world. Patricia is in a unique position to help us tell that story and do it in a graceful and elegant way.”

Exciting Announcements

2022 is the 100th anniversary of King Tut’s tomb discovery by Lord Carnarvon’s great-grandfather. His great-grandfather left Highclere Castle for an archaeological dig in Egypt and discovered the tomb, which is still touted as the most significant discovery in archaeological history today. 

As a way to celebrate this anniversary, Highclere Castle Gin has made a limited edition, barrel-aged, champagne-colored gin. They are currently taking bottle reservations on their website. 

The limited edition bottle is a luxurious gold featuring panels from King Tut’s tomb. The name, Highclere Castle, has also been translated into authentic hieroglyphics by two famous Egyptologists. 

Adam shares that the company will be working with Patricia to promote this limited edition design. Currently, Highclere Castle Gin is available in 27 states and seven countries, including the UK. Adam notes that the easiest way to get a bottle is by visiting Highclere Castle Gin’s website.