WORDS: RACHEL MCCORMACK, KARYN NOBLE, LORNA PARKES, LAURA RICHARDS. PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF THE BATH DISTILL
If the inhabitants of the British Isles are regarded as drinkers, well, who can blame them when they’re so spoilt? From world-famous Scotch, and Irish whiskeys to London and Plymouth gin, the number of distilleries in the UK has more than doubled over the past five years. The entrepreneurial floodgates were pushed open in 2009, when London-based gin-maker Sipsmith was granted a licence to distil after two years of campaigning for a change in laws that had been in place since the 1751 Gin Act. Smallbatch distilling was back on the agenda, and craft booze-making took off. You’ll now find distilleries in unlikely spots, from John o’ Groats to a car park in east London. The tour starts here - take it easy!