A city that has a rich history when it comes to gin had gone quiet when it came to gin distilleries for about 200 years before the City of London distillery was opened in 2012. London Dry Gin was one of the most popular gin types in the world. Then came a revolution of small-batch micro-distilleries, which brought variety, interest and experimentation; new botanicals, new combinations, new gins. The City of London distillery opened on 20th December, 2012 and their first gin was the London Dry Gin. Since then, the distillery has gone on to produce different kinds of gins using various botanicals.

Three gins from the City of London Distillery were among the winners at the 2018 London Spirits Competition. The three gins that won were:

Square Mile: With a score of 91 points, the Square Mile gin was awarded a gold medal at the competition. A crystal clear gin, the Square Mile has an aroma of woody, nutty and earthy piney juniper with a strong citrus influence. The taste of creamy citrus and eucalyptus rich juniper is enhanced with the addition of water. At the finish, fresh coriander fades through to leave lingering pine and black pepper juniper.

City of London Dry Gin: This gin was awarded a silver medal at the competition and had a score of 80 points. The aroma is dominated by pungent, piney juniper and zesty pink grapefruit, orange and lemon along with subtle notes of celery, sage and parma violet. The taste is clean and characterful with attractive  parma violet, orris root, liquorice, zesty citrus and enlivening black pepper sauce. The after taste has a subtle peppery spice.

Old Tom: The Old Tom gin was also awarded a silver medal with a score of 79 points from the judges. The taste of the gin is an amalgamation of juniper, coriander and nuutty angelica root with a hint of sweetness to bring out the citrus flavours. The aroma is that of distinctive juniper and citrus with subtle notes of caramel. The after taste is of lively citrus and juniper.

A micro-distillery, the City of London Distillery distill their gins in three copper pot stills and allows the visitors to savour their gins, enjoy a cocktail or share one of their gin experiences.