Entrepreneur Alex Wolpert has opened east London’s first new distillery in 100 years to make artisanal gins, vodka and, soon, whiskeys. Are craft spirits set to overtake craft beers as the new “it” product for hipsters?
Wolpert believes so: “I watched closely how craft beer was pioneered in the US and Britain. But today, the craft beer movement is well into its peak in most countries. There isn’t that same pioneering element for spirits yet, which is what I am trying to do.”
Wolpert opened the East London Liquor Company earlier this year, setting up his own distillery and bar in east London’s trendy Victoria Park area.
Together with a team of private investors, Wolpert has invested half a million pounds to set up the business in the shadow of the Olympic Park. The building itself, an old glue factory, is half-distillery, half-bar, which is open to the public.
“There are only a couple independent spirit producers in London, and I saw a gap in the market to do something exceptional,” he explains. “London has an appetite for quality and locally-produced spirits. I love whiskey and I also love gin, so I thought, why not go for it?”
Three weeks ago, the East London Liquor Company started producing its first alcohols: a vodka, an entry-level gin and two premium gins. In September, Wolpert will start distilling whiskey, which will then be aged on site for at least five years.
A large part of the investment – a quarter of the total – went towards buying the bespoke hand-finished copper distillery systems and bottling plant needed to make and package the spirits. But Wolpert argues that keeping the entire process in house – from raw grain to finished bottle – was important, as it means he can guarantee the product’s quality.
“It’s lovely to have ownership and autonomy over all the processes. A box of gin does not leave the premises if the box or label isn’t right – it’s checked at every step,” he explains.
The company uses the “London Dry” method of production, which is the highest European Union classification of quality, using high-quality ethanol and British wheat.
Wolpert is not a distiller by trade. Before setting up the East London Liquor Company, he ran Barworks, a chain of bars and pubs. To create the gin recipes, he worked with a master distiller, trying different recipes and concoctions.
“Because we’re small, we have the ability to try things out. It isn’t like we’re a large company where a small run is 100,000 bottles – we can do a run of 600 bottles in one day and experiment with it,” he explains.
Wolpert recognises that running a smaller distillery does mean that production quantities could be limited in the future, but he does not view this as problematic: “I’d rather make a capped amount of liquid every year that hits the right quality standards and goes to the right places. Yes, we’re small, but it is a viable business.”
Made in London
London – and particularly east London, where the East London Liquor Company is based – has a rich history of gin making since the end of the 16th century. Yet manufacturing has, over the centuries, been pushed out of the city.
The concept of artisanal spirits is of course not new, but Wolpert hopes that the public will appreciate that his products are made in a London distillery.
“This is a London product through-and-through, made using traditional methods,” he explains. “People want to know where things come from and how they are made. I wouldn’t want us to grow too quickly without the gin being seeded in London and becoming a London-loved product.”
He is also clear to point out that artisanal does not have to mean expensive: “There is a misrepresentation out there at ‘artisanal’ and ‘boutique’ products are automatically expensive, and that has to be changed. It’s important that our products remain accessible, even though they are made locally and on a smaller scale.
"The most important thing, for me, is that the liquid tastes brilliant and everyone can enjoy it. Every step of the way, people have fallen in love with the idea, and that’s what has made it possible. Now I want our products to be sold everywhere.”
