London’s coolest gin distillers
It may surprise you that Olivia Williams, author of Gin Glorious Gin, knows quite a bit about the drink formerly known as “Mother’s Ruin”. Here’s her low down on the best gin distilleries in the capital – just in time for a Friday afternoon tipple. Her research must have been fun.
Sipsmith
Head off to Chiswick for a lively tour of Sipsmith’s three stills – Patience, Prudence and Constance – which make all their gin and vodka. The staff, who are brimming with knowledge and enthusiasm, will answer any gin questions you can think of. For a reasonable £15 you get a G&T during the tour and a tasting of all the Sipsmith spirits – including their delectable Summer Cup and Sloe Gin.
City of London Distillery
This is all-round gin heaven as the distillery that makes the C.O.L.D.’s gin and vodka is attached to a very well-stocked bar. Positioned right behind Fleet Street, it is the only brand made in the City, London’s original gin heartland. They run daily tours and weekly masterclasses but the Gin Lab, where you can make your own, is where the real magic happens. For £125 you can make your own gin from the very start to the finish – beginning with choosing the ingredients to sealing the finished product up with wax.
The London Distillery Company
Over in Battersea, the LDC make the delectable Dodd’s gin. With its pretty packaging it makes an offbeat present for gin lovers. At 49.9% ABV, it’s a very punchy spirit that really holds its own in a G&T or martini. Using honey from London bees, it’s a strong gin that isn’t at all abrasive. Tours are by appointment only and cost £15. The LDC does not have its own bar, but there is the Doodle Bar right next door for a quick reviver.
Beefeater
The only Victorian distiller to have hung on in London through wars, recessions, and the arrival of vodka in the 1960s, Beefeater is still a gin-making powerhouse. London’s grande dame of gin is to be found in Kennington, under the shadow of the Oval cricket ground. As of this year, you can now tour the impressive distillery, and see where all their ingredients come from before having a well-earned G&T at the end. They run every half hour but they still get booked up well in advance. The tour itself costs £12 and you can buy their exclusive visitors’ gin, London Garden, at the shop along with all their other creations.
Sacred
Despite being double gold winners at the Oscars of the drinks scene, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Sacred is still made in the distiller’s home in Highgate. Ian Hart, once a City headhunter, gave up the rat race to pursue his love of spirits. The most inventive of the London distillers, he produces a mind-boggling array of drinks – including the Rosehip Cup and Pink Grapefruit Gin. Sadly the fact that it’s made ‘at home’ means that tours are not on the cards but the gin is out of this world and has to be tried. You can buy it from the Sacred website, from most London department stores and speciality food shops.
Olivia Williams, for Waterstones.com/blog
