Confession time. I was once SO drunk in Delph, after taking part in a little pub tour of the area (starting off in Greenfield, walking though Uppermill) that I went into The Old Bell Inn, ordered a pint of Strongbow and then left.
In my inebriated state I was completely unaware of the 1300 gins that they serve to their regulars on a day-to-day basis and it wasn’t until a couple of years later that I put two and two together and finally realised just how much of a prized tool I was.
What I thought was just your typical country pub was in fact the holder of the Guinness World Record title for the largest number of gins commercially available. Let that sink in. The most gins – IN THE WORLD. Wowzers.
They have over 1,300 different gins in their little ‘Gin Emporium’ and you can try every single one of them – with over 15 different tonics that’s a total number of combinations that’s too big to comprehend. It’s 1,300 to the power of 15, which is enough to break any classroom calculator and make Carol Vorderman’s head explode.
Curiously, the pub doesn’t actually currently hold the title of most gins in the world – even though it definitely is. That title goes to the Evil Eye Lounge in York who currently stand at 1,026 gins.
The problem is that Guinness just haven’t got on the TransPennine Express to Delph recently to count them all. I think it’s probably about time that owner Philip Whiteman got Guinness on the blower once again and reclaimed the title for Delph.
It would be pure folly to sit here and list any or all of the gins that are currently on offer over at the Old Bell Inn.
If you’ve seen one or heard of one or someone has told you all about one – it’ll be here I promise you. It’s like playing Pokémon where instead of little friends you just end up getting more and more hammered.
The Old Bell Inn of course isn’t just about the gins. It’s also a fully-fledged (and quite brilliant) boozer set in the stunning countryside of Saddleworth. Just on the doorstep of the moors, it’s a great place to go during these lovely summer months – perhaps as a stop-off during one of the many excellent walks in the area.
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The Old Bell Inn, Huddersfield Rd, Delph, Oldham OL3 5EG
01457 870130
www.theoldbellinn.co.uk
