Industry | Distilled Beverage |
---|---|
Founded | 2009 |
Headquarters | London, UK |
Key people | Sam Galsworthy, Fairfax Hall & Jared Brown |
Products | Gin, Vodka |
Owner | Suntory Global Spirits |
Website | Sipsmith.com |
Sipsmith is a microdistillery located in London. It is the first copper-pot distillery to open within Greater London' in nearly two centuries. It has been owned by Suntory Global Spirits, a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan, since December 2016.
The Sipsmith Gin distillery is one of 24 gin distilleries located in London. [1]
Sipsmith was established in London in 2009, the first copper-pot based distillery to start up in London in 189 years and at the time, was one of only four gin distilleries located in London. [2] Sipsmith was launched by Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall, respectively former Fuller's and Diageo employees and Jared Brown, who is also Sipsmith's Master Distiller. A drinks and spirits historian and publisher, he has developed spirits in Sweden, Norway, Vietnam, and in the US [3] over the past 12 years.
The Sipsmith still was designed and produced by the German still manufacturers Christian Carl. Named "Prudence", this copper pot still has a capacity of 300 litres (66 imp gal; 79 US gal). Prudence is the subject of their iconic swan neck copper still labelling, created alongside their visual identity and brand by Perry Haydn Taylor's agency, big fish, before Sipsmith was started. [4] On 16 December 2016 it was announced that Beam Suntory had taken a controlling stake in Sipsmith for an estimated £50 million, but that Sam Galsworthy, Fairfax Hall and Jared Brown would be staying on to lead the distillery. [5] [6] [7]
In May 2017, Sipsmith partnered with the secret London culinary boutique Gingerline to create an "immersive gin dinner". [8]
The Sipsmith distillery is situated on a residential street in West London on the site of a former microbrewery, later the offices of beer hunter Michael Jackson. [9]
Sipsmith's first two spirits are a Barley Vodka and a London Dry Gin. [9] These are produced in small batches of fewer than 300 bottles, from an English Barley mash that is created off-site. Each batch is made in a traditional manner with three cuts: the Head or foreshot is discarded; the Heart or core of the distillation run is retained; and the Tail or feints is discarded. The Heart of the distillation is diluted to its final bottling strength with Lydwell Spring water, one of the sources of the River Thames in the Cotswolds. [9] [10]
In 2015, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Singapore Sling, Sipsmith partnered with Raffles Hotels & Resorts to create a brand-made gin, the Raffles 1915 Gin. [11]
The distillery won the 2010 Observer Food Monthly Award for Best Newcomer. [12]
Gin is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients.
Suntory Holdings Limited is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky.
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Whitley Neill Gin is a London Dry gin.
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St. George Spirits is an artisanal distillery located in Alameda, California that produces a range of alcoholic beverages under the direction of Master Distiller Lance Winters. They are known for producing vodka, absinthe, whiskey, gin, brandy, liqueurs, and a range of exotic spirits.
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Watershed Distillery is a microdistillery in Columbus, Ohio, United States, founded in 2010 by business partners Greg Lehman and Dave Rigo. The distillery was the second distillery opened in Central Ohio after prohibition, and Watershed brought to market the first legally distilled bourbon whiskey in Central Ohio post-prohibition in 2012. The distillery offers tours to the public and was the first distillery in Ohio to open a restaurant on-site in February 2017, following the passage of Ohio House Bill 351 in 2016. The distillery offers six spirits: vodka, two types of American style gin, bourbon, nocino and a bottled Old Fashioned cocktail.
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