Sipsmith is a microdistillery

Microdistillery

A microdistillery is a small, often 'boutique', distillery established to produce beverage grade alcohol in relatively small quantities. While the term is most commonly used in the United States, micro-distilleries have been established in Europe for many years, either as small cognac distilleries...

 located in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. It is the first copper-pot distillery to open within London's city limits in nearly two centuries.

History

Sipsmith was established in London in 2009. The first copper-pot based distillery to start up in London in 189 years, it is one of only four gin distilleries located within London's city limits. The Beefeater Distillery (established in 1820), Thames Distillers, Sacred Microdistillery

Sacred Microdistillery

Sacred Microdistillery is a microdistillery located in Highgate, London. It is unusual in that it distils its spirits under a vacuum in glassware, and thus at a lower temperature than traditional pot stills, which operate at atmospheric pressure...

, and Sipsmith are the only remaining licensed distilleries in the nation's capital.

Sipsmith was launched by Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall, respectively former Fuller’s and Diageo

Diageo

Diageo plc is a global alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine....

 employees. Jared Brown is Sipsmith’s Master Distiller. A drinks and spirits historian and publisher, he has developed spirits in Sweden, Norway, Vietnam, and in the US over the past 12 years.

The Sipsmith distillery is situated on a residential street in West London on the site of a former microbrewery, later the offices of beer hunter Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson (writer)

Michael Jackson was an English writer and journalist. He was the author of several influential books about beer and whisky.-Life:...

. Its still was designed and produced by the German still manufacturers Christian Carl. Named "Prudence", this copper pot still has a capacity of 300 litres (634 US pt).

Products

Sipsmith's first two spirits are a Barley Vodka

Vodka

Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....

 and a London Dry Gin. These are produced in small batches of between 120-160 bottles a time, from an English Barley mash that is created off-site. Each batch is made in a traditional manner with three cuts: the Head or foreshot is discarded; the Heart or core of the distillation run is retained; and the Tail or feints is discarded. The Heart of the distillation is diluted to its final bottling strength with Lydwell Spring water, one of the sources of the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 in the Cotswolds

Cotswolds

The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...

.

Sipsmith London Dry Gin is 41.6% ABV. A classic London dry style gin, it uses 10 botanicals in its maceration: Juniper

Juniper

Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...

 berries, Coriander

Coriander

Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...

 Seed, Angelica

Angelica

Angelica is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far North as Iceland and Lapland...

 Root, Liquorice Root, Orris Root

Orris root

Orris root is a term used for the roots Iris germanica, Iris florentina, and Iris pallida. Once important in western herbal medicine, it is now used mainly as a fixative and base note in perfumery, as well as an ingredient in many brands of gin....

, Ground Almond

Almond

The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...

, Cassia Bark, Cinnamon

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...

, Orange Peel and Lemon Peel.

Sipsmith Barley Vodka is 40% ABV. An unfiltered and unsweetened vodka, the spirit derives its flavour from its essential grain base.

Sipsmith Sloe Gin (29% ABV) - released October 2010

Sipsmith Summer Cup (29% ABV) - a type of fruit cups

Fruit cups

A fruit cup, also known as a summer cup, is traditionally an English speciality drink designed to be made into a long drink with addition of a soft drink such as lemonade or ginger ale. Most commonly gin based although there are some varieties based on other spirits such as vodka...

 released in August 2011

Sipsmith Damson Vodka (28% ABV) - released in 2011

The distillery won the 2010 Observer Food Monthly Award for Best Newcomer.