Distilling

All London distilleries start with a neutral base spirit. It's usually grain-derived and already over 96% ABV pure. Juniper and the other botanicals only come into play afterward.

Sipsmith distills in a classic copper pot still named Prudence. The still works using the one-shot method: all botanicals steep together in the same wash. The distiller distills once and then dilutes straight down to drinking strength. There's no need to later cut a concentrate with neutral alcohol.

Beefeater takes a different approach: according to the distillery, its nine botanicals macerate together in alcohol for about 24 hours before any heat comes into play at all. Only then is the mixture slowly heated and distilled, so that all the aromas can blend evenly.

Some botanicals don't respond well to direct maceration, turning bitter or soapy instead. For these, there's the vapor basket, a sieve in the upper part of the still. Rising alcohol vapor only brushes past the plants. This way it picks up the fine, volatile aromas without pulling out the heavier bitter compounds.

The heads, the first few milliliters from the still, are discarded. They contain unwanted, harsh compounds. Only after that does the heart begin, the true core of the gin. The master distiller recognizes it by smell and collects it separately.

City of London Distillery works out of a small setup right in the city center, just a few steps from Fleet Street. It shows that distilling in London is no longer purely a suburban craft.