The quintessential expression of a classic, traditional London Dry Gin
It all began in 2009, in a tiny workshop in Hammersmith, London. Two childhood friends, Fairfax and Sam, had an unwavering belief in things well made - the way they used to be, the way they should be. So they set up London’s first traditional copper distillery since 1820. Their mission was simple: to bring London Dry Gin of truly uncompromising quality and character, back to the city where it first earned its name. Every bottle of Sipsmith is hand-crafted in genuinely small batches. Every drop of every batch is lovingly laboured over by hand, by our dedicated Distillers. No regimented timings, no automatic cuts, just a craftsman’s flair and a passion for gin well made. We believe this is the only way to craft spirits of this quality.
Our botanicals are carefully sourced from all over the globe – choosing only the very best quality ingredients. Our recipe was inspired by one found by our Master Distiller Jared in an eighteenth century book called The Art of Distilling. Each day, we add precisely the amount needed to make one batch of gin to each still – never adding more to create a gin concentrate.
Our carefully crafted recipe of botanicals are added to the stills the evening before to allow them to macerate over night and imbue the ‘alcoholic wash’ with flavour. They typically macerate for around 14 hours but can be as long as three days in the case of our V.J.O.P.
Our stills are switched on each morning around 8am and the process of distillation begins. The stills heat up to 80* allowing the alcohol, which boils at 78.3* to turn into vapour, but leave the liquid water behind. As the vapour travels around the still it makes contact with the copper surfaces and condenses back into a liquid, each time becoming purer, soother and more sippable.
Once it has completed its journey through the still our gin finally reaches the condenser, where it turns back into a liquid for the final time and runs off a pipe known as the ‘point of pleasure.’ The liquid comes in three distinct parts – the heads, the hearts and the tails. We take only the very best – the heart cut – which is then brought to bottling strength with the addition of pure water and is finally ready to be bottled and sipped.
The quintessential expression of a classic, traditional London Dry Gin. Bold, complex and aromatic – smooth enough for a Martini, yet rich and balanced, perfect for a G&T.
Gin made the way it used to be, and the way we believe it should be.
Our London Dry Gin was born out of a desire to see gin production return to the city where it earned its name. With a nod to traditional hand crafted production, our gin combines traditional copper pot distillation with a recipe that wouldn't look unfamiliar to an eighteenth century Master Distiller.
Botanicals
Macedonian Juniper Berries: The fundamental ingredient that makes Sipsmith London Dry Gin taste, well, like gin! It’s the oils that we want so we macerate the berries in warm spirit overnight to burst the skins and release the essences.
Belgian Angelica Root: Similar to the orris root, angelica acts as a binding agent to promote the harmony of the other botanicals. It also adds its own dry characteristic and helps to provide the wonderfully long, dry Sipsmith finish.
Bulgarian Coriander Seed: A mellow spiciness and a long finish with hints of citrus and a hint of peppery ginger, is derived from the addition of coriander seed to the Sipsmith botanical mix.
Chinese Cassia Bark: Hailing all the way from China, and from the same family as cinnamon, cassia bark adds a hints of sweet, warm spice to the Sipsmith recipe.
Italian Orris Root: Orris root is the root of the iris flower, and delivers a delicate floral, fragrant note to our London Dry Gin whilst serving to bind the other botanicals together to deliver a harmonious flavour profile.
Spanish Ground Almond: Spanish ground almond is used to bring delicate spiciness and marzipan notes and adds depth and body to Sipsmith’s London Dry Gin.
Madagascan Cinnamon Bark: Madagascan cinnamon bark adds a delicately sweet spiciness to the botanical mix, similar to (and from the same family as) cassia, it is an essential component of the rounded Sipsmith recipe.
Spanish Liquorice Root: Liquorice root adds an attractive bittersweet undertone, and equally importantly neutralises any bitterness from other botanicals to allow their properties to shine through in Sipsmith London Dry Gin.
Spanish Lemon Peel: The other key citrus element, lemon peel adds a subtle brightness to the citrus notes of Sipsmith London Dry Gin, showing on the palate as a hint of lemon tart.
Seville Orange Peel: Grown along the streets of Seville and also known as ‘bitter orange’, this fruit has a wonderful tartness that delivers a zesty citrus note on the palate with marmalade overtones.
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