For master distiller Jared Brown, the gin renaissance is still ongoing
The co-founder and master distiller of Sipsmith, now part of Beam Suntory, says that the journey really began when three friends embarked on a mission to bring authentic London Dry Gin back to the city.
- Aug 18, 2022,
- Updated Aug 18, 2022 6:07 PM IST
“I can tell you exactly when and where the gin renaissance began in the UK, because I was there,” says Jared Brown, co-founder and master distiller of Sipsmith, a London Dry Gin, part of the Beam Suntory portfolio that was launched in India a couple of months ago.
The origin of Sipsmith goes back to 2009, to a tiny workshop in Hammersmith, London, when three friends and the founders of Sipsmith -- Fairfax Hall, Jared Brown and Sam Galsworthy embarked on a mission to bring authentic London Dry Gin back to the city where it first earned its name.
“I always wanted to create gin but I am not a businessman. I was fortunate to meet Fairfax and Sam, two childhood friends who wanted to learn about distilling. They were traditionalists like me. When we talked about what we wanted from gin, it was not to come up with something new and different. It was to pay respect to the tradition and heritage and to learn from past masters,” says Brown. And so it was that they decided to follow a 1860 recipe – one of the first recipes for London Dry Gin and set up London’s first traditional copper distillery since 1820.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing as they were unable to get a license to start production. “The biggest problem that we had while starting was that we could not get a license. There were only 12 distilleries making gin in Britain in 2007. The last one to get a licence in London was Beefeater in 1820. The reason for this was the Excise Act of 1830 which said no person shall keep a still of less than 400 gallons that is 1800 litres. Today our biggest stills are 1500 litres,” explains Brown. After much running around, in 2008 they received the first licence in almost 200 years. “Thanks to our legal work, there are now over 600 gin distilleries in the UK,” smiles Brown. Sipsmith started the gin renaissance in the UK.
The name Sipsmith is a combination of ‘sip’, which means to drink slowly, savour and enjoy, and ‘smith’, that represents the skill and passion for creating something by hand, the name Sipsmith derives inspiration from Fairfax’s father, a silversmith.
Before setting up Sipsmith, Brown and his wife were making vodka in Norway and running a nightclub in New York. They were working as directors of the Museum of Wine and Spirits in the South of France but they desperately wanted to bring gin back. That was in 2006.
They realised that no one under the age of 60 was buying gin. They loved gin. They created a gin symposium where they got the representatives of all the major gin companies in one room and they talked about the gin category and how they could revive it. That became a gin roadshow that they took across North America and Europe.
Brown says he is glad he met his partners and they could make gin together.
In December 2016, Sipsmith was acquired by Beam Suntory, although it continues to be run by the founders.
For Beam Suntory, India is a strategic and key market that has been earmarked at a global level for attention and investment.
“Keeping up with our global objective to be the world’s fastest growing premium spirits company, our ambition in India is to further develop our business here and join the US and Japan as one of Beam Suntory’s largest markets. With some of the most renowned brands globally and an ever-expanding portfolio, we are treading strongly towards our ambitious goal of reaching $1 billion in revenue in India by 2030,” says Ruchika Gupta, Marketing Director, Beam Suntory India. “Our top priority for this year has been to build on the current impetus of our premium portfolio by leveraging our East-Meets-West competitive advantage. The launch of Sipsmith is another step towards our goal of delivering premium spirits for the Indian consumers,” she adds.
Sipsmith is available in India at Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru. It is priced between Rs 5,485 and Rs 7,000 for a 700 ml bottle.
Beam Suntory reported results for the first half of 2022, reflecting stronger-than-expected demand in key markets and excellent performance for premium brands. Net sales increased 13 per cent for the maker of Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark bourbon, Courvoisier cognac, and Hibiki Japanese whisky, reflecting a 25 per cent increase versus the pre-pandemic period in 2019.
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“I can tell you exactly when and where the gin renaissance began in the UK, because I was there,” says Jared Brown, co-founder and master distiller of Sipsmith, a London Dry Gin, part of the Beam Suntory portfolio that was launched in India a couple of months ago.
The origin of Sipsmith goes back to 2009, to a tiny workshop in Hammersmith, London, when three friends and the founders of Sipsmith -- Fairfax Hall, Jared Brown and Sam Galsworthy embarked on a mission to bring authentic London Dry Gin back to the city where it first earned its name.
“I always wanted to create gin but I am not a businessman. I was fortunate to meet Fairfax and Sam, two childhood friends who wanted to learn about distilling. They were traditionalists like me. When we talked about what we wanted from gin, it was not to come up with something new and different. It was to pay respect to the tradition and heritage and to learn from past masters,” says Brown. And so it was that they decided to follow a 1860 recipe – one of the first recipes for London Dry Gin and set up London’s first traditional copper distillery since 1820.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing as they were unable to get a license to start production. “The biggest problem that we had while starting was that we could not get a license. There were only 12 distilleries making gin in Britain in 2007. The last one to get a licence in London was Beefeater in 1820. The reason for this was the Excise Act of 1830 which said no person shall keep a still of less than 400 gallons that is 1800 litres. Today our biggest stills are 1500 litres,” explains Brown. After much running around, in 2008 they received the first licence in almost 200 years. “Thanks to our legal work, there are now over 600 gin distilleries in the UK,” smiles Brown. Sipsmith started the gin renaissance in the UK.
The name Sipsmith is a combination of ‘sip’, which means to drink slowly, savour and enjoy, and ‘smith’, that represents the skill and passion for creating something by hand, the name Sipsmith derives inspiration from Fairfax’s father, a silversmith.
Before setting up Sipsmith, Brown and his wife were making vodka in Norway and running a nightclub in New York. They were working as directors of the Museum of Wine and Spirits in the South of France but they desperately wanted to bring gin back. That was in 2006.
They realised that no one under the age of 60 was buying gin. They loved gin. They created a gin symposium where they got the representatives of all the major gin companies in one room and they talked about the gin category and how they could revive it. That became a gin roadshow that they took across North America and Europe.
Brown says he is glad he met his partners and they could make gin together.
In December 2016, Sipsmith was acquired by Beam Suntory, although it continues to be run by the founders.
For Beam Suntory, India is a strategic and key market that has been earmarked at a global level for attention and investment.
“Keeping up with our global objective to be the world’s fastest growing premium spirits company, our ambition in India is to further develop our business here and join the US and Japan as one of Beam Suntory’s largest markets. With some of the most renowned brands globally and an ever-expanding portfolio, we are treading strongly towards our ambitious goal of reaching $1 billion in revenue in India by 2030,” says Ruchika Gupta, Marketing Director, Beam Suntory India. “Our top priority for this year has been to build on the current impetus of our premium portfolio by leveraging our East-Meets-West competitive advantage. The launch of Sipsmith is another step towards our goal of delivering premium spirits for the Indian consumers,” she adds.
Sipsmith is available in India at Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru. It is priced between Rs 5,485 and Rs 7,000 for a 700 ml bottle.
Beam Suntory reported results for the first half of 2022, reflecting stronger-than-expected demand in key markets and excellent performance for premium brands. Net sales increased 13 per cent for the maker of Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark bourbon, Courvoisier cognac, and Hibiki Japanese whisky, reflecting a 25 per cent increase versus the pre-pandemic period in 2019.
Also read: Unilever Professional launches digital distribution network in India
Also read: Unfortunate that Jacqueline has been made accused: Lawyer Prashant Patil