New spirits distillery East London Liquor Company to open own bar

Soon-to- launch craft spirits distiller the East London Liquor Company is to open its own cocktail bar offering its own gin, vodka and whisky.

It will feature a glass wall through which drinkers can look into the distillery room to see how the spirits are made, and there will also be a range of cocktails designed by head mixologist, Piyush Chavda.

There will also be tours, spirit tastings and make-your-own-batch sessions with "master distiller" Jamie Baxter.

Opening this April, the company near London's Victoria Park is set to begin making craft spirits in two copper stills, at 450 to 650 litres a time.

Products will include two premium gins aiming to celebrate London's history in developing the drink; vodka; and whisky, aged on-site for a minimum of three years. The company will also import rum from the Guyana-based company Demerara Distillers.

The distillery's opening has been inspired by the reported success of small-scale distilleries in the USA, and is part of the founders' wish to revive what they call London's "rich heritage of spirits production".

Founder Alex Wolpert has said that there are already several local bars lined up to take on the spirits. He added: "We want to revive East London's rich legacy of spirits manufacturing. The craft spirits trade went through a huge and successful resurgence in the USA, and now the UK is experiencing a similar renaissance. London clearly has an appetite for quality and locally produced spirits."

Master distiller Jamie Baxter called the opening an exciting step for the craft spirit industry.

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