While London is the city that inspired the popular “London Dry” style of gins, you might be surprised to hear that for over 200 years, there was actually only one gin distillery located in the area (a behemoth known as Beefeater). 

This was the case up until 2007, when the local gin distilling industry was about to be shaken up by two friends Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall, who would go on to establish London’s first new copper-pot distillery start-up since the early 19th century… and pave the way for more aspiring craft distillers to follow.

This is the story of Sipsmith Gin.

Sipsmith: Paving the Way For the Gin-naissance 

You see, for a while now, childhood friends Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall had been harboring grand plans to create the world’s best London Dry Gin by launching a new brand, Sipsmith. Yet, before the first test distillation could even begin, they faced a seemingly insurmountable road block: a pesky law from the 1823 prohibiting the issuance of new distilling licenses for stills under 1,800 litres in capacity. Meanwhile, the trio’s own distillation still, lovingly dubbed “Prudence”, was only 300 liters in capacity - so you can imagine their dilemma! 

This restriction was part of a 19^th century excise act designed to curb rampant illicit distillation and sale of gin. Yet, in more modern times, it proved controversial as it unilaterally forbade small batch distillation, effectively preventing new distilling start-ups from gaining ground while allowing only large-scale corporations to operate.

Eager to realize their vision for a London Dry Gin made on their own terms, Sam and Fairfax filed a petition and lobbied hard for the revision of the law. This process would take two years and the help of other passionate distillers, before finally in 2009, the legislation was amended and the team got the green light to set up their own distillery and start distilling gin.

Even before the first bottle hit the shelves, Sipsmith had helped make history. In pushing for the repeal of that outdated 1823 law, the founding duo not only secured the green light for themselves, but also paved the way for every other aspiring craft distiller in London to start creating their own genuinely small-batch, craft spirits.

Yet, before the first test distillation could even begin, they faced a seemingly insurmountable road block: a pesky law from the 1823 prohibiting the issuance of new distilling licenses for stills under 1,800 litres in capacity. Meanwhile, the trio’s own distillation still, lovingly dubbed “Prudence”, was only 300 liters in capacity - so you can imagine their dilemma! 

Making London Dry Gin “The Way It Used to Be”: Championing One-Shot Distillation 

Today, every drop of Sipsmith gin is still made in their distillery in Chiswick, which they moved to in 2014 after outgrowing their initial distillery. 

When starting Sipsmith, the team had a vision of making authentic London Dry Gin “the way it used to be made, the way it should be made”.  While this might seem like an amorphous benchmark, the creators weren’t simply chasing some intangible nostalgic quality in their gins. Jared Brown, who was a prolific icon in the drinks and spirits industry, joined as the distillery’s master distiller after meeting Sam and Fairfax at an aptly themed Negroni Party. Determined to create a truly classic London Dry that was historically authentic, Brown dug into his personal drinks archives spanning 1400 books to research gin recipes dating back to as early as 1738. 

Their research yielded a key insight that would be central to the Sipsmith distilling process: that a truly classic London Dry would have to be made via “One-Shot distillation”. 

One Shot vs Double Shot Gin Distillation

“One-Shot” distillation is a process whereby a distiller would add a precise, targeted proportion of botanicals into the neutral grain spirit prior to distillation in a copper still, such that the heart of the distillate comes out ready to be bottled – requiring no further additions beyond filtered water.

According to Sipsmith, the One-Shot method is more laborious and time consuming, and hence often eschewed by the majority of gin distilleries today, who instead use the concentrate method, also known as the Double Shot method. With concentrate or Double-Shot gins, a distiller would place a much higher concentrate of botanicals into the still such that the concentrated distillate that comes out can be even further diluted, or “stretched”, with a separate neutral grain spirit that has not gone through the same copper distillation.

Sipsmith's Distillation Stills. During distillation, the spirit in the pot moves up and through the ‘swan’s neck’ before reaching the condenser where the vapour turns back into liquid ready for bottling. Sipsmith's swan mascot was created in reference to the swan's neck of their copper distillation still. 

The benefit of Sipsmith’s One-Shot method, when executed right, is that the distiller is able to capture the perfect amount of flavours and aromas just from one single shot of spirit, rather than having to blend different runs or batches of distillates, or add preservatives or chemicals to achieve a certain flavour profile.

Determined to create a truly classic London Dry that was historically authentic, Brown dug into his personal drinks archives spanning 1400 books to research gin recipes dating back to as early as 1738.

What to Try from Sipsmith Gin 

From its humble beginnings as a young upstart challenging the status quo, today Sipsmith has become a well-respected name amongst gin lovers and bartenders. Not only for its heavy role in helping to liberalize distilling laws and enable London’s modern gin renaissance in the past two decades, but also for its line of high-quality, copper distilled gins.

In 2016, the brand was acquired by Suntory Beam in a bid to accelerate its global expansion, though each bottle of Sipsmith is still produced at their current distillery in London. 

In 2020, Sipsmith was named Wimbledon's first official gin partner.

Beyond the original Sipsmith London Dry Gin, the brand's core product range now includes numerous expressions with various experimental botanical blends, including the Sippresso Coffee Gin and the Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle Gin. Along the way, they’ve even bagged some pretty reputable partnerships with the likes of Wimbledon and were named the official gin distiller of the House of Commons, each also culminating in the launch of special expressions. 

Given Sipsmith’s ever-growing line of gins, one might wonder which expressions to taste first. We’ve picked out five of our favorite Sipsmith bottles we think any gin lover should try!

1. Sipsmith London Dry (Read our in-depth review here!)

A Sipsmith classic – the bottle that started it all! The Sipsmith London Dry Gin is piney, herbaceous and citrusy with an approachability that makes it great for gin beginners, while still retaining those classic London Dry characteristics that would please regular gin drinkers.

2. Sipsmith V.J.O.P.

Gin aficionados seeking more kick to their gin cocktails would be pleased to pick up the V.J.O.P Gin, short of Very Junipery Over Proof Gin. This is a juniper-enhanced, navy-strength rendition of the original Sipsmith London Dry – it’s rich and viscous in mouthfeel, delivering on those crisp juniper flavors and spiciness with an added punchiness and vibrancy.

3. Sipsmith Sloe Gin

A sweet treat and a must try for the sloe gin lover (and let’s be honest, who among us isn’t one?), the Sipsmith Sloe Gin is rich and jammy with intense black cherry and stewed plum notes. A delightful wintery expression to sip on that’s well-balanced and absolutely delicious in a sloe gin fizz!

4. Sipsmith Raffles 1915 Gin 

The Sipsmith Raffles 1915 Gin is a special edition gin bottled exclusively for Singapore’s Raffles Hotel, featuring botanicals meant to evoke the flavors and scents of the Malaysian Peninsula during the 1910s. The original London Dry recipe is refreshed with the addition of pomelo peels, jasmine flowers, lemongrass, nutmeg and cardamom, and the result is a well-spiced gin that impresses with undertones of light orange sweetness. Perfect for use in a Singapore Sling. 

5. Sipsmith Orange & Cacao Gin 

While the name of the expression might have you believing this gin is a merely a one-off confectionary novelty release, it’s remarkably classic in profile! The expression still leans citrusy with an ever-present juniper backbone, though its ever-the-slightly enhanced with the nuanced sweetness of orange blossom and cacao. Perfect for a cozy nightcap.

With juniper and joy,