Visiting East London Liquor Company

In 2014 I became well accustomed with whisky, on first-name-terms if you will. I started the year knowing little more than the fact I knew I wanted to like it, but in the main I was mostly indifferent. I liked the sweeter American ones, but it wasn't until I visited The Glenrothes back in November that I started to really enjoy a wider range. Like beer, you've got to try a bunch to figure out which you really like.

I haven't touched gin since I was a teenager. Paint stripper-type cheapness and blinding headaches left a lasting impression - strong enough for me never to touch the stuff in over 10 years. Maybe I was being close-minded but memory is a powerful thing. It wasn't until late December 2014 when I was contacted by Virgin Experience to see if I would like to visit the East London Liquor Company's Distillery + Bar that I'd considered giving it a second chance. One look at their website and I was sold.

Located just off the canal between London Fields + Mile End, the East London Liquor Company is the definition of a craft spirits distillery. They produce their own gin (and soon to be whisky), in small qualities, right in front of your eyes. As we waited for our tour of their distillery to start we sat patiently in the bar, knowing that just over our shoulders lurked two beautiful + imposing coppery behemoths - otherwise known as East London Liquor Company's distills. The only other bar/distillery I've been to like this was Moon River Brewing Co. in Savannah, GA. They've done a brilliant job creating such welcoming and almost homely-feeling environment.

Photos 1, 7, 10, 11 provided

As I mentioned above, I wouldn't consider myself a fan of gin, but I really wanted these guys to convince me otherwise - after all, it is one of Britain's most loved drinks. Our group was taken on a tour of the small, but perfectly formed, pristine distillery. We learnt about the distilling process, their unique + bespoke equipment, why they use certain ingredients, where they take inspiration from and why their branding means so much to them. It's true, a company's branding/positioning can make a sale (first impressions and all), you only have to look at The Apprentice's Water Task to see what I mean. Taste-wise their gin was nothing like I'd had in the past - I was pleasantly surprised. Tasting the individual flavours of each of their gins was a real eye-opener, and since has turned into my drink of choice.

Overall I genuinely enjoyed my time speaking to the folks at East London Liquor Company. Getting to share a drink with the people that make the distilling happen was a real highlight for me. We even got to try other curious drinks like rum gin and "hops"-laced gin, who knew? The latter wasn't so much to my taste, but as for their own stuff, let's just say I'm giving gin a well deserved second chance.

Thank you to Virgin Experiences for inviting us to the East London Liquor Store for the afternoon. Click the link for more information on the tour.

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