Enjoy Excellence: Tipplemill Gin
Milled, distilled and served chilled… this month we’re gathering in the harvest with Tipplemill Distillery’s Lily and James Craven whose cereals harvest under the vast skies of Lincolnshire contributes to creating the premium London Dry Gin that has taken the in market by storm since the family launched it in 2023
After the warmest spring on record, and a sweltering June, Lincolnshire’s cereals farmers began their harvest earlier than usual this year. The county produces over 10% of the UK’s total wheat crop; 1,260 local farms growing over 175,000 hectares.
After a busy day harvesting, a farmer needs just three things… a rest, a good yield, and a (very) large G&T. Happily, we’ve the perfect recommendation in the form of Lily and James Craven’s Tipplemill London Dry Gin. Its ‘seed to spirit’ creation is unique because it uses wheat grown on the family’s own farm to create the base spirit.
For five generations the family has farmed land near Boston. In 2023 Lily wanted to celebrate the British countryside and her family’s farming heritage whilst reaffirming the link between farmer and consumer. That vision was realised in Tipplemill, whose namesake is their farm’s founder and Miller Frank Craven.
Tipplemill’s dedication to values of quality, sustainability, and traceability starts at the very beginning with the core ingredient, the base alcohol spirit. “Instead of purchasing industrially made ethanol from around the globe, we use our own farm grown wheat, meaning we have control over every stage of Tipplemill’s creation.”
Bringing communities together really and championing this traditional British craft of windmilling makes Tipplemill truly unique. Using the power of the wind at nearby Moulton Windmill, their family’s farm grown wheat is milled into the flour which serves as the foundation for their smooth and sumptuous base alcohol spirit.
Distilled with the luxury of time in a traditional copper pot still. The Tipplemill botanical recipe is built around elderflower and sweet fennel: two crops which are found in hedgerows in the Lincolnshire countryside! Alongside the finest juniper berries and coriander seeds, sun-dried grapefruit, orange and cassia bark (to name a few) are ingredients which all come together to craft a delicious, moreish and refreshing tipple.
Championing high quality and sustainability in the production process of the gin follows through into the creation of the eye-catching Tipplemill bottle. The glass bottle, the gold and white artwork and the label are all made in the UK. “Presentation of our spirit is just as important as the contents. We wanted people to taste luxury with their eyes and then again when they sip our gin!” says Lily.
The logo design references the family’s faming, milling and distilling links and the five generations. The stopper is cleverly designed as a millstone to reference the unique to the UK windmilling aspect of the gin creation.
Tipplemill’s quality and originality was underwritten with a double-gold award at the World Spirit Awards in New York and again the following year in San Francisco, the most prestigious accolades to archive in the spirits world, really putting Lincolnshire on the map. As Drinks Producer of the Year, and recently Business Innovator of the Year, they really are a spirit to look for behind the bar!
Tipplemill can be found in restaurants and hotels in Lincolnshire, Rutland and Stamford. “It is brilliant that bars and restaurants are setting the standard for promoting not only British-grown produce to serve on plates, but to serve in people’s glasses too like Tipplemill gin. “Food menus have information about food traceability so it’s great to be working with establishments who can now offer the equivalent standard with our gin.”
“We feel a true connection to our land and have the privilege of taking care of it into a fifth generation. Farming in harmony with nature is how we roll. Looking after the soil health, the wildlife which shares our land and growing the highest quality crops for you to eat (and drink!). We take a crop, we spend a year tending to it and then turn it into a product that is enjoyed on all occasions and which brings people together. It also gives us immense pride in British agriculture and optimism for the future.”
“Authenticity and traceability were two of the values we wanted to reflect in our gin, so I hope as you drink a Tipplemill and a tonic, you can feel a sense of connection with the British countryside,” says Lily.
Tipplemill Gin is available directly from www.tipplemill.com, £44, 70cl, 44% ABV. Or why not ask for a Tipplemill & Tonic next time you are out!