Tipplemill: Local Gin from Lincolnshire
Nothing stirs the spirit like summer in the countryside, and simply there’s no better spirit with which to raise a glass to farming than Tipplemill’s London Dry Gin, produced with high quality ingredients and traceable from field to bottle
This month we’ll be raising a glass to World Gin Day on 15th June, and to the hard-working farmers admiring their crops as they ripen in the fields.
Lincolnshire is responsible for producing 178,337 hectares of wheat – 10% of the UK’s total wheat crop from 1,260 holdings. That wheat is of course used to produce bread, pasta, biscuits and cakes, as well as providing animal feed, but the Craven family who farm 1,000 acres near Sutterton have found another very good use for it.
Fifth generation farmers, brother and sister Lily and James Craven, established their artisan gin brand Tipplemill in 2023 with a view to utilising some of their Astronomer biscuit and distilling wheat and 10 other botanicals to produce their London Dry Gin. Its namesake is Tipple Mill, the windmill which their great great grandfather Frank Craven used to operate.
A natural progression saw Frank acquire the land around his windmill which his son then farmed to produce the wheat. Although this windmill is no longer operational, the family’s farm continues to produce wheat on this very same land alongside other crops including peas and potatoes, for examples, for some of the UK’s premium supermarkets.
Once harvested, a proportion of the farms wheat finds its way to Moulton Windmill, the tallest working windmill in the UK, a short drive from the farm.
Here it’s ground by millstones and then in conjunction with an independently owned distillery, the resulting flour is turn into the twice-filtered base spirit ensuring traceability and quality for the only UK gin produced in such a way.
Botanicals including juniper, elderflower, coriander seeds, orange, grapefruit plus sweet fennel seeds are distilled in a traditional copper still to create an aromatic, refreshing and high-quality gin with subtle sweet notes and a dry finish. The bottle, artwork, label and packaging have all been designed and sustainably made in Britain, too.
“Authenticity and traceability were two of the values we wanted to reflect in the finished product, so that as you drink a Tipplemill & tonic you can feel a sense of connection with the British countryside,” says Lily, who works on the farm alongside her own partner Jim, and brother James.
The Craven family approach of farming in harmony with nature allows you to sit back and enjoy a Tipplemill in tonic knowing there are fifth generation feet on the ground actively enhancing the biodiversity of the land Tipplemill gin was born.
Flower rich plots provide an abundant source of pollen and nectar throughout the summer for insects and pollinators.
Hedgerows are actively managed to create wild ways of movements for smaller creatures around the farm and cover crops utilised to improve soil health and structure before sowing the following gin wheat crops.
As we move into the summer months, restaurants will tailor their menus with seasonal vegetables to serve among locally sourced meats.
Founder Lily wanted to provide these venues with the opportunity to extend ethos to the spirits behind their bars too.
“We should be interested in where our tipples come from in the same way we do with our food. Both start in a field and with Tipplemill on our farm. It’s wonderful that many bars and restaurants around Stamford and Rutland are championing traceable and sustainable produce both in the food that goes onto our plates and now with Tipplemill behind their bar.” Tipplemill can be tasted in local businesses including The William Cecil, The Golden Fleece, The Finchs Arms and Hambleton Hall to name a few.
“We were exceptionally proud to take a double-gold award at the World Spirit awards first in New York and then again in San Francisco… impressive for a product that originates in the Lincolnshire Fens and from a family committed to ensuring their farming methods are carried out in harmony with the land of which we are custodians.”
“Taking a crop and turning it into a product that gives us a direct connection to our end customer is really satisfying.”
“We continue to farm in a regenerative way, ensuring a robust future for our soils, crops and gin.”
“We’re really looking forward to a British summer and to harvesting golden fields in the fens, ensuring we can make a product that’s a delicious and refreshing way to raise a glass to British farming.”
Tipplemill Gin is available directly from www.tipplemill.com, £44, 70cl, 44% ABV.
Read our full feature in the June edition of Stamford Pride at https://www.pridemagazines.co.uk/stamford/view-magazines?magazine=June-2025