Beefeater Gin London distillery tour

Drink

Beefeater London gin distillery

Beefeater is one of the most iconic drinks brands in the world. You see it behind almost every bar, no matter where you are.

I currently work in Oval, South London, a few minutes walk from Beefeater’s distillery and home since 1958. In April I’m moving office to across the river to Tower Hill so thought I’d take the opportunity to visit the South London giant of gin.

Beefeater London bottles

The tour takes you through a self-guided museum showcasing the history of the spirit and Beefeater’s role since it was first created in 1876. Afterwards you’re taken upstairs to learn more about the key botanicals and some of the current expressions. It was then that we got to try Beefeater 24, created by Master Distiller Desmond Payne MBE, and Beefeater London Garden, which is exclusive to the distillery and a softer more subtle and sweet tasting gin that I can see going down very well in the summer.

Beefeater London gin advertising

Old Beefeater London gin bottles

Building Beefeater

Currently there’s a lot of work going on in the distillery to install a new copper still and help the brand increase production to meet growing demand. Unfortunately this meant that our tour wasn’t able to enter that area of the distillery itself but were shown some of the huge stills through the glass ceiling.

We were then talked through the different stages of the distillation and got to do something I’ve not had a chance to before: smell the different stages of head, heart and tails from the distillation process. It’s through this that the distillers are able to ensure only the best spirit is bottled and maintain Beefeater’s flavour profile.

Beefeater gin and tonic with lemon and orange

Cheers to the future

At the end of the tour we were given a delicious classic B&T (Beefeater and tonic) served with lemon and orange, and a shot of the pink gin to try.

It’s the success of their foray into flavoured gins, like their pink expression, that led Beefeater to launch their new blood orange version earlier this year. These fruity gins are especially popular in the brand’s key market in Spain (the UK comes behind Spain, the US, Canada and Japan in Beefeater consumption).

Shotglass at the Beefeater distillery bar

Beefeater London 24 gin and Beefeater London Garden gin bottles

It’s exciting to watch how such a well established brand can stay true to its roots and vitally important heritage, whilst also continuing to evolve and keep pace with gin’s huge surge in popularity.