Distillery

Thames Distillers

Thames Distillers was established in the mid-nineties by 10th-generation distiller Charles Maxwell, one of the oldest families of distillers in the world.  Charles is known in the industry as the ‘Godfather of Gin’ for his meticulous attention to detail, quality, and craftmanship in producing some of the finest gins in the world.

Newly relocated to South-East London's Elephant & Castle neighborhood, the site is a former Victorian mineral water bottling plant.  A fascinating interaction of global trade, the distillery sits along the former Grand Surrey Canal, which connected through Surrey Quays out to the Thames River and across the globe, much like the botanicals featured in Gin Lane 1751’s recipe.  

Our two very special 500-liter pot stills, affectionately named 'Tom Thumb' and 'Thumbelina,' are specifically made to distill gin.  These stills provide the flexibility and precision to produce small-batch, artisanal gins.  Tom Thumb was built by John Dore, the famous still maker, and was designed specifically to make gin.