海角视频

The South West has seen a huge boom in distilleries, with the number more than doubling in just three years.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics have revealed that there are now around 65 distilleries operating in the region. That鈥檚 up from 50 in 2018, 35 in 2017 and just 25 in 2016.

As recently as 2011, there were closer to five across the whole of the South West. The boom has been driven in particular by a rise in independent, craft gin makers.

Gin-making has exploded across the country since restrictions on its production were relaxed a decade ago. Prior to that, the Gin Act of 1751 prevented small-scale and home production of gin by limiting it to larger distilleries.

Those rules were eased thanks to lobbying by the makers of Sipsmith, who were granted a licence to produce gin in 2009, opening the door for other small gin distilleries.

The total number of distilleries operating across the 海角视频 has nearly quadrupled since then, rising from 195 in 2010 to 730 in 2019.
Separate figures from the ONS suggest that more than half of those are gin distilleries.

According to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, gin is now the second-most popular spirit in the 海角视频 - ahead of whisky, and behind vodka.
It has been helped in particular by the popularity of pink and flavoured versions of the drink.

Here are five gin SW gin distillers who show how fast the industry is growing:

Chameleon Gin

Plymouth entrepreneur Georgina Moss needed to raise 拢10,000 to launch her colour-changing gin brand 鈥� and ended up with it 148% subscribed.

Ms Moss, aged 28, is the latest business person to target the booming gin trade, which saw sales leap 40% at Christmas 2018 and is expected to grow again this year.

But with the number of gin distilleries having tripled over the past six years, every gin now has to offer something different.

Ms Moss, who has been working on seeing her dream turned to liquid reality for seven years, is banking on her 鈥渃ustomisable鈥� gin to unlock the funds.

Her Chameleon Gin has a classic London dry gin taste, with a hint of orange and pine, but when infused with the bottles鈥� accompanying 鈥渋nfusion pockets鈥� the flavour intensifies 鈥� and the gin changes hue.

Ms Moss launched her funding bid on Newquay-based crowdfunding platform Crowdfunder and said: 鈥淚鈥檝e been overwhelmed by the support of wonderful people. People who I hadn鈥檛 spoken to in 10 years, complete strangers, best friends, uni friends, former colleagues, friends of friends and not to mention pledges from as far away as Australia, the USA and Poland.鈥�

Salcombe Distilling Co

One of the fastest growing gin brands in the 海角视频 is to expand into the USA after hitting an 拢800,000 crowdfunding target in just under 24 hours.

Devon鈥檚 Salcombe Distilling Co (SDCo), which used crowdfunding platform Seedrs, received huge interest from investors in just a short time.

Launched in July 2016 the brand achieved a colossal 400% growth in two years of trading and is now a respected leader in the super premium gin sector.

Tarquin鈥檚 Cornish Gin

Tarquin鈥檚 Cornish Gin was named among Britain鈥檚 fastest growing businesses in the 23annual Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 league table.

Founded in 2012 by Tarquin Leadbetter, it claims to have been the first gin distillery established in the South West in over a century and grew sales by 85% on average over three years to 拢5.1million in 2019.

Mr Leadbetter, who started making gin in his home aged just 23, now exports to more than 17 countries and in 2017 scooped the coveted World鈥檚 Best Gin title at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The business now employs 27 people at its St Ervan base.

Land of Saints

A Cornwall-based couple have been seeking investment for an organic gin which is helping to fight climate change and was already a sell-out hit 鈥� even before it was released.

Mike and Sue Bearcroft spent 10 months developing a premium Cornish organic gin 鈥� called Land of Saints - on a not-for-profit basis to support the work of Fauna & Flora International (FFI), the world鈥檚 oldest conservation charity.

The first two batches of gin sold out, and now the tipple is available in about 12 stores, bars and hotels around the South West.

Barbican Botanics

Plymouth鈥檚 first dedicated gin joint opened in 2018 in a Grade II listed building in New Street on the city鈥檚 historic waterfront.

The 鈥渢asting room鈥� can hold 40 people at any one time and in its first week of opening the business saw more than 150 gin devotees enjoy their favourite tipple.

It has 98 different gins, and gin lovers can come in a buy a bottle or they can go into the gin room, buy a gin and tonic or taste the gin.

Before long, Barbican Botanics started its own production line too. Its hand-crafted Barbican Botanics gin was awarded a bronze medal at the IWSC (International Wines and Spirits Competition) awards in 2018 and was shortlisted by the Gin Guide Awards.

And one making rum鈥�

Two Drifters Brewery and Distillery

A Devon husband and wife team has started Britain鈥檚 first carbon negative brewery and distillery 鈥� making beer and rum which is vegan and as good for the planet as it is on your taste buds.

Gemma and Russ Wakeham launched Two Drifters Brewery and Distillery in Exeter at Easter 2019. From their base near Exeter Airport they produce drinks which allow consumers to make a difference to climate change.

鈥淭o the best of our knowledge, we are the world鈥檚 first carbon negative brewery and distillery,鈥� said Gemma, head brewer.

鈥淏y this we mean we offset more than all the associated CO2 emissions we calculate to make our products, and not just from what we do here in our warehouse but all the way from the growing and shipping of the ingredients right through to the packaging and delivery.鈥�