Britain now has well over 800 licensed gin distilleries, up from fewer than thirty at the turn of the century. That boom produced genuinely brilliant spirits and a great deal of marketing language attached to gin that was distilled by somebody else entirely. Because neither "artisan", "craft" nor "small batch" carries any legal weight in UK labelling, the words tell you nothing on their own.
What does tell you something: who made the base spirit, how the botanicals were introduced, the size of the batch and the bottling strength. Those four facts separate a serious small-batch gin from a rebadged one, and every bottle we recommend below is transparent about all four. For the wider category, read our premium gin guide and gin styles explained.
How Artisan Gin Is Actually Made
Almost all gin starts as neutral grain spirit at around 96% ABV. The overwhelming majority of distilleries — artisan ones included — buy that spirit in, because building a grain-to-glass operation costs several million pounds. A handful in Britain do make their own, and Adnams in Southwold is the best-known example; that is why its gin has a softer, faintly cereal texture that bought-in spirit rarely gives.
The botanicals go in one of three ways. Steeping macerates them in the spirit before distillation, giving the heaviest, oiliest result. Vapour infusion suspends them in a basket above the liquid so only the alcohol vapour passes through, giving a lighter, more floral spirit — Bombay's method, and increasingly common among small distillers. Many artisan producers combine both, steeping juniper and coriander while vapour-infusing delicate citrus peel and flowers.
Then comes the cut. The distiller decides when to stop collecting the heads and start collecting the heart, and when the tails begin. On a small pot still that judgement is made by nose, batch by batch. On an industrial column it is automated. This is the single biggest reason artisan gins vary between bottlings and industrial gins never do — and, depending on your view, either the charm of the category or its risk.
Four Questions That Separate Real Artisan Gin From Marketing
Where is it distilled? A named distillery and town on the back label is a good sign. "Produced in England" without an address usually means contract distilling.
What is the batch size? Genuine small-batch production runs in the hundreds of bottles. If a brand cannot tell you, the answer is that it is large.
What strength is it bottled at? Artisan producers tend to bottle at 41–46% because botanical oils stay in solution at higher strength. A 37.5% bottle at £35 is paying for the label.
Is anything added after distillation? Sugar and flavouring after the still is legitimate for contemporary and flavoured gin, but it should be declared. If a gin is sweet and pink and silent about why, assume post-distillation additions.
The Best Artisan Gins to Buy in the UK
| Gin | ABV | Price | Why we recommend it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adnams Copper House Dry Gin | 40% | £29.99 | Distilled in Southwold from Adnams' own grain spirit. Soft, hibiscus-and-orange lift over a restrained juniper core. The best value artisan G&T in our range. |
| Sipsmith London Dry Gin | 41.6% | £32.99 | The bottle that restarted London distilling. Classic, clean and juniper-led — the reference point everything else in this list is judged against. |
| Warner Edwards London Dry Gin | 44% | £36.99 | Farm-distilled in Northamptonshire with elderflower and cardamom. The higher strength gives it the weight to survive a strong tonic or a Negroni. |
| The Botanist Islay Dry Gin | 46% | £39.99 | Twenty-two hand-foraged Islay botanicals on top of nine classics. The most complex botanical bill we stock, and the one to buy for sipping. |
Prices shown are our listed UK prices at the time of writing and may change. Free UK delivery on orders over £70.
Adnams Copper House: The Value Benchmark
If you want one bottle that demonstrates what artisan production does to a gin, buy Adnams Copper House Dry Gin. Adnams brews and distils on the same Southwold site, so the grain spirit is made in-house from East Anglian barley and wheat rather than bought as commodity alcohol. The result is a gin with a rounder, faintly bready weight beneath the juniper — texture you cannot buy at supermarket prices.
The botanical bill runs to six: juniper, coriander seed, orris root, cardamom, sweet orange peel and hibiscus. The hibiscus is what gives it the soft floral edge and the faint pink cast in the glass. At 40% and £29.99 it is the everyday artisan gin in this list, and it takes a slice of orange rather than the standard lemon.
For a broader look at what Britain's distilleries produce, browse our distilleries directory or the full gin collection.
How to Serve Artisan Gin
The gin and tonic: 50ml gin, 100ml light Indian tonic, a copa or highball filled properly with ice. Under-icing warms the drink and flattens the botanicals faster than anything else.
Garnish to echo, not to compete: orange for Adnams, grapefruit for The Botanist, a lemon twist for Sipsmith, a bruised rosemary sprig for Warner Edwards.
The Martini test: 60ml gin, 10ml dry vermouth, stirred, lemon twist. Anything under 40% tastes hollow here, which is why bottling strength matters.
Negroni: use the 44–46% bottles. Equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth needs a gin with the backbone to be tasted through the bitterness.
Shop Artisan Gin
Small-batch British and Scottish gin with free UK delivery over £70
Browse the Gin CollectionFrequently Asked Questions About Artisan Gin
What is artisan gin?
Artisan gin is gin made in small batches by a distillery that controls the whole process — botanical selection, the still run and the cut points — usually in copper pot stills producing a few hundred bottles at a time. There is no legal definition in the UK, so the useful test is whether the distiller can tell you where the spirit base comes from, how the botanicals are handled and how large a batch is.
What is the difference between artisan gin and supermarket gin?
Mass-produced gin is distilled in very large column-still runs and heavily filtered for consistency, which strips botanical oils. Artisan gin keeps more of that oil, so it holds its flavour against tonic and ice instead of disappearing. Expect a fuller texture, a longer finish and more variation between batches.
Is artisan gin worth the extra money in the UK?
Between £28 and £38 you get a genuine step up in texture and botanical complexity over a £16 supermarket bottle, and the difference is obvious in a simple gin and tonic. Above about £45 you are usually paying for rarity, cask finishing or packaging rather than a proportional jump in quality.
Which artisan gins are best value in the UK right now?
Adnams Copper House at £29.99 is the strongest value in our range because Adnams distils its own grain spirit rather than buying neutral alcohol in. Sipsmith at £32.99 is the benchmark London Dry, and Warner Edwards at £36.99 is the pick for farm-distilled character. All ship with free UK delivery on orders over £70.
How should I drink artisan gin?
Start with 50ml gin, a light Indian tonic at a 1:2 ratio, a large amount of ice and one garnish chosen to echo a botanical already in the bottle. Heavily flavoured tonics mask exactly what you paid extra for. Juniper-forward artisan gins at 43% and above are also worth trying in a Martini or a Negroni.
Does artisan gin have to be London Dry?
No. London Dry is a production method — all flavour must come from botanicals distilled together, with no additions afterwards beyond water and a trace of sugar. Many artisan distillers work outside it, using vapour infusion or post-distillation maceration, which is why some outstanding small-batch gins are labelled simply as dry gin.
Continue Reading
Written & reviewed by Onur Mert
Founder & Spirits Buyer, The Royal Barrel
WSET-trained spirits buyer with over a decade sourcing whisky, gin and rum for UK drinkers. Every bottle featured here is tasted or bought by our own team before it is recommended.
Published by ONURMERT Limited (Company No. 08084870), Dorchester, Dorset
Last updated