The Taste of a Place

But despite a reputation that earned it the nickname “mother’s ruin”, gin never went away. Fast-forward several centuries and a gin and tonic is now as quintessentially British as cricket, fish and chips and knotted hankies on your head at the seaside. For years that’s all it was: the comforting and familiar after work tipple; a safe pair of hands in the increasingly artisan world of fancy cocktails and craft beers. Then something changed and it’s back  in a big way. In 2010 there were 116 gin distilleries in  the UK. In the past two years alone over 100 have opened, and gin has become a £1bn industry. Traditional brands have had a hand in this but most attribute this renaissance to dedicated small producers popping up all over the place. 

Here are six of the best new small distilleries leading the charge in Britain and a recipe that really showcases their qualities:

East London Liquor Company
East London Liquor Company has carved out an impressive niche in a crowded city with its stunning premises and three delicious gins. Their London Dry mixes 100% British wheat, a balance of grapefruit and lemon for the citrus and exotic spice like cardamon and cubeb berries.
Stay at a local Best Western hotel: Best Western London Ilford Hotel

The Lakes Distillery
The rugged and beautiful fells of the Lake District have the perfect champion in The Lakes Distillery. An impressive set up that also includes a single malt whisky distillery and restaurant, the gin uses wild Lakeland juniper, meadowsweet and heather.
Stay at a local Best Western hotel: Castle Inn Hotel, BW Signature Collection

Caorrun
Foraging is at the heart of the Caorrun ethos. Blackberry, sloe, rowan and elderberry are just some of the wild fruits harvested in the Scottish Highlands to create this gin. Combine these with water long-famed for producing the best whiskies on the planet and you have something perfect for cocktails, but equally delicious mixed simply with tonic.
Stay at a local Best Western hotel: Best Western Plus Inverness Lochardil House Hotel

Whittaker’s Gin
An award-winning newcomer from beautiful Nidderdale, North Yorkshire, Whittaker’s draws its water from the distiller’s own spring and uses local botanicals like sharp bilberry, sweet hawthorn and spicy bog myrtle. It captures the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales in liquid form.
Stay at a local Best Western hotel: White Hart Hotel, BW Premier Collection by Best Western

Dyfi
Dyfi is situated in a UNESCO-protected biosphere in Wales. In this pristine landscape the team harvests 20 of the gin’s 29 botanicals. Combine that with Pete Cameron’s scientific approach to distilling on custom equipment and you have something really quite special sold in very limited quantities.

Blackdown
Something superb from Sussex. Blackdown is crafted from a long list of botanicals, but things get really interesting after distillation when silver birch sap is added from the woodlands surrounding the distillery - a rare ingredient that adds a touch of sweetness to this bright and fresh summer gin.
Stay at a local Best Western hotel: Best Western Beachcroft Hotel