Why wouldn’t you? This question from Warner’s Gin has replayed in our minds as much as its botanicals have bounced around our palate. Why wouldn’t you? If you could make the world a better place. Why wouldn’t you? If you can help Mother Nature. Why wouldn’t you?

Sustainable spirits aren’t new to the market, but there is a limit to which the brands seem to adhere, and for Warner’s, the spirit that puts as much thought into its conservation as it does its flavour, it’s a moral compass. In simple terms: its botanicals and bees – in more complex conversations, it’s an instrumental factor in becoming self-sufficient. But at the end of the day, it’s about purpose and profit, of using the business as a force for good. Because not only does it taste better – but it does better. So, if you had the chance to give back – why wouldn’t you?

For us, gin is a great de-stressor, goes perfectly with a tonic and slice and is well welcomed after a long week’s work. For Warner’s – gin is intoxicating in all senses of the word. It’s the social glue that holds the world together. A spirit that puts us in good spirits; one that provides companionship, community and connection. It’s the perfect combination of Science, Nature and Art; a way of using real ingredients for distillation, craft and flavour. A clean slate in which to lavishly paint with the fruits of Mother Nature’s labour and Warner’s Farm sits in the middle of it, creating their own paint from Her bounty, their own craft through their knowledge and ultimately, their own success.

“We opened Pandora’s box, right here on the farm” comments Tom Warner, the Founder and leading man behind the success of Warner’s Gin. Warner’s, we soon learned, is a spirit for foodies; probably one of the main reasons why we love it so much. “Chefs have herbs and spices” says Tom, “but we, as distillers, call them botanicals, and we tirelessly work and tweak the recipes to ensure they match the reflection we are trying to express”, something you can see reflected in the immense craft portfolio the brand produces.

The tour starts with a tractor ride | Amanda Bootes

Following the ethos of “Is it Warner’s enough”, for us, an almost Wonky-style process, but for Warner’s – a way of life. “If you had to describe Warner’s Distillery we are if a Vineyard and a Distillery had a baby that was awarded a Michelin Star” states Tom. “We use the spirit to its creative limits – it’s an extremely expressive spirit that is begging for its recipe to be played with. And we always work on the premise of knowing that our best batch, will always be our next batch”.

And they are not wrong. Their specifically engineered spirits are always ahead of the curve, built upon their holy trinity of botanicals in their compound London Dry Gin base. Two products spring to mind here. Their Elderflower Gin, which became the fourth fastest-selling spirit overnight, put them on the map and their Rhubarb Gin, the first ever of its kind started the pink gin revolution. These seemingly simple spirits began on a small farm and created ripples that have impacted the entire gin world; Warner’s has no interest in slowing down any time soon. In fact. They have only just started.

Editor Amanda Bootes with Warner’s Gin Bees

Everything you taste is grown on the farm. Warner’s is a place where they use Mother Nature to the best of its ability and give back through farm diversification, pollinators and biodiversity. Not only growing their own botanicals but rearing their own bees to further the sustainability of the farm and cement Warner’s as the most nature-positive drinks business in the world.

Where flavours aren’t possible – Warner’s adapts. Lemons, a key ingredient in a lot of flavoured gins are normally shipped from Egypt. Even with the most skilled horticulturists the British countryside just isn’t equipped to produce our own lemons so Warner’s adjusted. “We know real tastes better,” Tom says. “Which is why we use accessible flavours that we can grow here” For the lemons – homegrown lemon verbena is used instead. Giving a fresh, almost sweetened lemon sherbet note - the verbena adds an elevated farm-grown flavour to the traditional citrus while capturing all components, depth and profiles of the actual fruit itself. “A lot of flavoured gins contain no acidity, because it’s synthetic [flavouring] when you use real ingredients, you get all compounds,” says Tom, resulting in a more flavourful and richer product. “Some brands add everything together – there’s no craft – we take our seasonal ingredients and add post-distillation for the truest London Dry Flavoured Gin. That’s what we are creating here, not just a mainstream-flavoured spirit with a gin label slapped on”.

Founder Tom at Warner’s Gin Cocktail Masterclass | Amanda Bootes

And it’s not just with fruits that Warner’s have got creative. Their love for innovation, nature and local, seasonal ingredients has led them to craft a unique range of spice blends without importation.

“In 2019 we were challenged to make a gin where all the ingredients were grown within a three-mile radius of our farm. To get balance in the liquid we needed spice, so we had to get inventive!” comments Tom, whose creativity and innovation into British seasonal and local ingredients led to the discovery of one of the most inspired spicy ways we have ever come across in the spirit world.

“We created a spice from the British Countryside. Roasted Dandelion roots produce flavours of chocolate, coffee, black pepper and popcorn. We grow dandelions on the farm and roast them at a local coffee roaster” and this ingenious creation was used to finish off a Warner’s Gin called Farmer and Foraged and has now branched out into the Spiced Rum sector, creating an “intelligent and delicious spiced rum that works fantastically well on its own, with cola or ginger ale”.

This set off a snowball effect for Warner’s. “Inspired by the rum recipe… that contained lots of weeds, but also included [traditionally seen] food waste like citrus peels and overripe bananas”. Aptly named their Trash and Treasure series, Warner’s set about creating a spirit series that helps to tackle food waste in the UK by “utilising waste streams from other manufacturers, like citrus peels, pineapple peels, mango skins, wonky raspberries and overripe bananas – to make some fantastically delicious products, because after all – one person’s Trash is another’s Treasure”. This range currently sees a selection of four beautiful blends including a Tropical Rum that utilises waste pineapple and mango peels from a local prepared fruit company, a Banana Rum that includes over-ripe bananas from a produce supplier, a Citrus Vodka that uses lemon peels from a nearby juicing company and a Raspberry Vodka from wonky raspberries from a produce supplier.

Living by the motto that “Success turns luck into genius”, the Warner family is proud of their legacy, their journey and the fact that “we have got a lot of things wrong”, knowing that they “started the brand on a shoestring” they attribute their continuing triumph to their wins and losses and celebrate each with as much enthusiasm as the next. With Warner’s – “there are never any smoke and mirrors, we share every aspect of the brand in every bottle we craft, warts and all” and encourage customers to come and see the behind-the-scenes of everything they do, through their specially curated tours. We highly recommend their Nature Tour (£60pp): a unique and immersive “access-all-areas” tour where you can get hands-on experience with both the botanicals and bees and rewarded with a very special cocktail-making class and so much more.

Getting Up Close and Personal With Warner's Gin On Their Nature Tour

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