Distilled with passion: our delicious craft gin
We live in an age of mass production, able to buy more or less the same products, from gin to gloves, no matter where we are in the world.
Despite all that convenience, many of us also yearn for hand-made items whose creators have poured all their love and passion into them.
As we seek out new experiences, tastes or sensations, either for ourselves or our loved ones, we crave and are drawn to products that are luxurious, out-of-the-ordinary or even unique.
You can find all that in our handcrafted gins. From our smooth-as-silk London gin, made using the finest local ingredients, to our perky, premium rhubarb gin liqueur, each glass is a delicious voyage of discovery.
Whether you’re a confirmed gin lover or completely new to this tasty tipple, we’ve got something for everyone.
The story of gin
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Compared to some spirits, gin is a relatively new addition. We only have to go back to the 15th and 16th centuries when it was believed to have medicinal qualities, largely because of the juniper berries that were used to make gin.
Dutch doctor Franciscus Sylvius de la Boe has been credited as the inventor of gin after he distilled a schnapps using genever (Dutch for juniper) berries.
This so-called ‘Genever’ gin was regarded as a medicine and was even given to Dutch soldiers during the Eighty Years war to make them feel brave.
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Gin in the UK
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In the 17th century, gin made its way to Britain and was an instant hit for two main reasons.
First, anyone could distill their own gins and second, it arrived at a time when beer and wine, both imported and locally made, were highly taxed and expensive.
Gin was cheap and easy to make, and some distillers tried to dilute the alcohol with sulphuric acid or turpentine oil. Thankfully this soon gave way to nicer flavours in gins, including rose water and sugar.
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The 18th century gin boom
During this time, gin consumption in England skyrocketed, with around 47 million litres drunk every year.
At the same time, crime and death rates soared, prompting the government to pass eight Gin Acts between 1729 and 1751.
It helped increase the quality of gins being produced and re-establishing its position as a reputable spirit.
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The birth of the G&T
Back in the 19th century, during the British occupation of India, soldiers had to take quinine to stave off malaria. Its bitter taste was masked by mixing it in water, sugar and lime.
In later years, the quinine was carbonated, creating the premium tonic water that some unknown genius decided would be delicious with a splash of gorgeous gin, garnished with lime peel.
We and G&T lovers around the world agree!
A drink full of natural ingredients
Juniper berries and seeds have been used in medicine for thousands of years. They have a range of benefits, including antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
Juniper can help with infections, such as a bad cough or lung congestion and has been used in the treatment of gastrointestinal and autoimmune conditions, while Juniper bud extract is an excellent liver and kidney detox.
The benefits aren’t just limited to the juniper berry. Gin itself has helped ease the symptoms of arthritis and, because it contains antioxidants, can reduce the impact of wrinkles.
Because it’s low in calories, gin can be good for your digestive system too. This is before we consider the health benefits of other ingredients often used in gins, such as nutmeg, sage and coriander.
Types of gin
Gin may be a few hundred years old but it tastes great for its age! It’s also evolved into numerous types, and these incredible gins have their own distinct flavours and profiles.
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London Dry Gin
This dry and crisp-tasting gin uses juniper berries as its main botanical ingredient. This classic drink contains zero artificial flavours or sweeteners.
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Plymouth Gin
This historic gin was first made in the Black Friars Distillery, one of England’s oldest working distilleries. Named after the city, it’s the only gin with a PGI status, and features a blend of seven botanicals: juniper berries, coriander seeds, orange zest and lemon peel, green cardamom and angelica root and orris root.
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Old Tom Gin
Named after the black cat-shaped plaques hung outside UK gin houses, this spirit sits between the ‘genever’ style gin and London Dry. It is slightly sweeter than both, thanks to the addition of sugar, honey and licorice.
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Navy Strength Gin
This gin has more alcohol than others, hitting 57% ABV or higher, and so packs a flavour punch. Botanicals used can include orange peel, fresh lemon peel, as well as rosemary, hawthorn and rowan berries and pink peppercorn.
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Other gin types
The world of gin is a rich and flavourful place, and the recent boom in craft gin distillery has led to a wide range of botanicals and tastes being added to the juniper-based spirit.
You can find gins that have been flavoured with a variety of seeds, berries, roots, fruits and herbs and spices. They can be garnished with lemon peel, grapefruit peel, orange peel or for savoury gins, try rosemary, thyme, or basil.
It’s created a wonderful drink that tastes delicious whether you choose to sip it on its own, mix it with a bottle of premium tonic or use it as the key ingredient in a range of cocktails.
What is the difference between gin and craft gin?
As we said at the start, we live in a world of mass-produced products. There’s nothing wrong with gin lovers enjoying a glass from a supermarket-bought bottle, but there’s a world of difference between that and craft gin.
That said, there can be just as much variation in quality between the numerous distilled craft gins out there.
While even some of the best craft gins might look good on the outside, we believe what’s much more important is the liquid in the bottle.
Our range of handcrafted gins
There is something for everyone with The Only Way Is Spirits’ gin collection, whether you’re looking for peppery spice and bright citrus fruits from your bottle, or heavy juniper and fresh berries to boost your cocktails.
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Handcrafted Premium London Dry gin
One of our very favourite gins, this multi award-winning, premium London Dry gin really captures the spirit of The Only Way Is Spirits.
Handcrafted in small batches using time-honoured traditional methods, our Signature gin is inspired by the local landscape, and poppy seeds from the county flower is one of its eight carefully selected botanicals.
Juniper, supported by lemon and orange citrus and a soft peppery spice from the poppy seeds, are the main flavours.
It has a fruity nose, while subtle hints of orange blossom add a dash of fragrance, floral notes that continue on the palate with each sip.
Of course this elegant gin is vegan and gluten-free.
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Raspberry Pink Gin
Our handcrafted, small batch Pink Gin is the perfect summer tipple. We took our crisp, delicious Signature gin with its poppy spice taste, and combined it with Essex-grown raspberries to create this vegan and gluten-free ruby pink number.
As you’d expect, juniper leads the flavours, before raspberries and orange notes sweep in, a unique blend that creates a fruity yet floral, refreshing pink gin.
It’s perfect over ice, in a G&T or added to Prosecco for endless summer cocktails.
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Premium Rhubarb Gin Liqueur
Forget crumbles and pies, the best thing to do with Great British rhubarb is infuse our Signature gin for this premium liqueur.
The vibrant colour is complemented by a sweet fruity aroma, while the taste is all about jammy summer fruit flavours on the palate: raspberries, strawberries and tangy rhubarb, underscored by that peppery Essex poppy.
At 27.5% ABV, you may find our vegan and gluten-free rhubarb gin liqueur is stronger than others, but its crisp yet warm taste is perfect when paired with tonic, lemonade or ginger ale.
Gorgeous gins in funky packaging
We’re always told not to judge a book by its cover and as a proud entrepreneur, I can honestly say it’s very good advice!
There’s so much more to this county than the TV show would have us believe, from its jaw-droppingly beautiful landscapes to the vibrant food and drinks sectors. But that doesn’t mean appearance and style aren’t important.
We’ve poured our hearts and souls into handcrafting our award-winning, delicious-tasting gins, it was obvious the packaging should reflect our high quality and unique products.
That’s why lots of thought went into the eye-catching label and packaging design. Those bright, jewel colours not only look amazing, they help our gins stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons.
You could say our gins have a dash of spice on the outside and the inside.
Shipping and returns
We send our premium gins across the UK, with FREE shipping on all shop orders over £30.
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Our shipping prices are listed here. For international orders, please visit Master of Malt.
You can also find all information about claims for breakages, cancelling orders and our returns policy here.
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Contact us
If you have any general questions about any of our delicious gins, the range of other products we create, or if you have any flavour feedback to offer, we’d love to hear from you!
Please complete this form and we will get back to you straight away. For any trade enquiries, email us at info@theonlywayisspirits.co.uk.