The rise of British gin

Any avid gin drinker will know that botanicals are all the rage at the moment. From juniper to orange peel to lavender, the ingredients list on the backs of bottles are getting more elaborate by the day, and seemingly more exotic. But what may come as a surprise is the growing number of distillers who are sourcing all of their ingredients in Britain.

Tom Warner was one of the first distillers to incorporate homegrown botanicals into gin – a craze that has now taken off across the market.

As green-fingered geniuses unveil their glorious gardens at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, the farmer and distiller will pour them a quintessential G & T, and he’ll be using his very own Warner’s Gin, while also distilling live, making his celebrated London Dry in the Jardin Blanc.

Warner has a strong association with the show, having presented a silver gilt medal-winning garden designed by Helen Elks-Smith in 2019, but this year the spirit takes centre stage. 

As the gin category continues its resurgent march back into the home bar,  simply adding a list of wacky ingredients to a label won’t cut the mustard with drinkers – particularly if you add mustard.