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British craft distilling began with a gin licence in 2008
By Sipsmith’s own history, an excise act in force since 1823 barred a licence for a still under 1,800 litres, and its founders’ petition saw the law changed in 2008 for Prudence, a 300-litre copper pot. Difford’s Guide, a secondary source, dates the licence to December 2008 and the first gin to 14 May 2009, and calls Sipsmith the first copper pot distillery to open in London in nearly 200 years.
The British craft spirits wave in dates; Difford’s Guide is a secondary source
2006
- What happened
- The English Distillery opens in Norfolk, by its own account England’s first registered whisky distillery for over 100 years
- Source
- The English Distillery
December 2008
- What happened
- Sipsmith is licensed for a 300-litre copper pot still in London
- Source
- Difford’s Guide
14 May 2009
- What happened
- Sipsmith’s first gin runs from the still
- Source
- Difford’s Guide
2018
- What happened
- 361 UK distilleries: 166 in England, 160 in Scotland
- Source
- WSTA, from HMRC figures
2023
- What happened
- 46 distilleries making English whisky
- Source
- GOV.UK
September 2026
- What happened
- More than 70 English whisky distilleries; English whisky gains GI status
- Source
- GOV.UK
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The English Distillery opens in Norfolk, by its own account England’s first registered whisky distillery for over 100 years | The English Distillery |
| December 2008 | Sipsmith is licensed for a 300-litre copper pot still in London | Difford’s Guide |
| 14 May 2009 | Sipsmith’s first gin runs from the still | Difford’s Guide |
| 2018 | 361 UK distilleries: 166 in England, 160 in Scotland | WSTA, from HMRC figures |
| 2023 | 46 distilleries making English whisky | GOV.UK |
| September 2026 | More than 70 English whisky distilleries; English whisky gains GI status | GOV.UK |
Gin suited a new distillery. It needs no ageing, so a new distillery can sell its first bottles within weeks, and a botanical recipe lets a small producer make something of its own. Wikipedia, a secondary source, records Suntory owning Sipsmith since December 2016.
Hundreds of distilleries followed, and England overtook Scotland
The distilleries followed. HM Revenue and Customs counted 361 in the UK in 2018, and for the first time England had more than Scotland: 166 against 160, as the Wine and Spirit Trade Association reported.
Many of the new distilleries used gin to fund something slower. Whisky has to rest at least three years in cask before it can be sold as whisky, and gin paid the bills while it waited. The government now counts more than 70 distilleries making English whisky, up from 46 in 2023.
The new wave now covers gin, whisky, rum and more
The producers below are a sample, chosen to show the range. Each publishes where it distils and what it makes.
Five British craft producers, from the producers’ own sites, Wikipedia and Time Out (both secondary)
Sipsmith
- Where
- London
- Since
- First gin in 2009
- What it makes
- London dry gin from copper pot stills
The English Distillery
- Where
- Roudham, Norfolk
- Since
- 2006
- What it makes
- English single malt whisky; founded by the Nelstrop family
The Cotswolds Distillery
- Where
- Stourton, Warwickshire
- Since
- Founded 2014; first single malt in 2017
- What it makes
- Single malt whisky and gin
The Lakes Distillery
- Where
- Near Bassenthwaite, Cumbria
- Since
- 2014
- What it makes
- Single malt whisky and gin
Bimber
- Where
- Park Royal, London
- Since
- Founded August 2015
- What it makes
- Single malt whisky
| Producer | Where | Since | What it makes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sipsmith | London | First gin in 2009 | London dry gin from copper pot stills |
| The English Distillery | Roudham, Norfolk | 2006 | English single malt whisky; founded by the Nelstrop family |
| The Cotswolds Distillery | Stourton, Warwickshire | Founded 2014; first single malt in 2017 | Single malt whisky and gin |
| The Lakes Distillery | Near Bassenthwaite, Cumbria | 2014 | Single malt whisky and gin |
| Bimber | Park Royal, London | Founded August 2015 | Single malt whisky |
Rum has grown the same way, with British producers working two models: distilling their own spirit, or finishing rum distilled elsewhere. The British rum renaissance sets both out.
Expedition Spiced Rum, from Jerry Can Spirits, is one British spirit among many: a Caribbean rum base with seven real spices, two natural sweeteners, and bourbon oak, macerated by our British partner distillery.
English whisky now has a legal definition of its own
English whisky now has legal protection of its own. Its geographical indication was granted in September 2026: the whisky must be distilled and matured in England. The rise of English whisky covers the rules and the distilleries.
Craft has no legal definition in the UK
Craft has no legal definition in UK law. Any producer may print it on a label, whatever its size. In practice it suggests independent ownership, small stills and a distiller close to the spirit, but the word guarantees none of them.
The useful test is openness. A producer that says where its spirit is distilled, what goes into it and how it is finished has given you something to check. One that will not has asked you to trust a word.
Judge a craft spirit by what its maker will tell you
Ask four questions of any bottle that says craft. Where was it distilled, and by whom? What is in it? How was it finished? Does the producer answer plainly? A producer confident in its answers gives them on the label or its site.
The same questions work in any category. A gin, a rum and a whisky are each as trustworthy as the answers behind them, and price is not one of those answers.
The facts come from the producers, the trade and the government
Sipsmith’s licence and the law change are from its own history; the licence date, the first gin and the 200 years from Difford’s Guide, a secondary source; the still size and the 2016 sale from Wikipedia, also secondary. The 2018 distillery count is from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, using HMRC figures.
The English whisky count and the GI are from GOV.UK. The producers’ details come from The English Distillery and the Cotswolds Distillery themselves, and from Wikipedia on The Lakes and Time Out on Bimber, both secondary.