Considerable growth for Hayman’s gin in the UK and overseas has led to its owners bringing production in-house with a dedicated distillery in Essex.
Hayman Distillers has brought distillation to the same location in Witham as blending and bottling, investing in a new 450-litre still handmade by leading German-based manufacturer Carl.
Since the brand relaunched in 2007 with Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, the company has outsourced distillation to Thames Distillers in Clapham, south London. Its range now includes London Dry Gin, Sloe Gin and navy-strength Royal Dock.
Hayman’s dates back to 1863 when James Burrough, great grandfather of the current Hayman Distillers chairman Christopher Hayman, started distilling gin.
Like previous generations of the family, Hayman’s uses a traditional copper pot still. The new still (pictured) has been named “Marjorie” after Christopher’s mother, who was Burrough’s granddaughter and the person who introduced Christopher to the family business and the gin industry. She died at a young age, and the name was chosen by Christopher in his mother’s memory.
He said: “All Hayman’s gins are now distilled in Witham and will continue to be bottled there, as previously. We are very pleased to have our own dedicated still as it gives us much better control over the production.
“Our process remains the same. For example, we steep the botanicals for a full day prior to distillation, which is what gives our gins their distinctive flavour.”
Alongside Christopher, the company is now run by the fifth generation of the Hayman family, James and Miranda Hayman. It produces six different styles of gin which follow the evolution and history of the spirit over the last 150 years.
This summer, Hayman Distillers updated its packaging to better emphasise its history as a family gin distiller dating back 150 years. It features an updated logo, new labels and a new bottle design based on a bespoke family bottle from 1947 discovered in the brand’s archives.
The new bottle has distinctive broad, angular shoulders and strong embossing above and below the front label which reads: “Hayman Distillers. Family Gin Distillers since 1863, England.”
The new branding features across the core range of Hayman’s London Dry Gin, Hayman’s Old Tom Gin and Hayman’s Sloe Gin as well as Hayman’s Royal Dock Navy Strength. The rest of the range, including Hayman’s 1850 Reserve and Hayman’s Gin Liqueur will follow soon.
