Hyperlocal gins offer ‘massive’ sales opportunities for pubs, says gin expert

People are more interested in locally grown food and drink, which pubs need to become better at capitalising on, explained gin writer and educator David T Smith at the Gin Guild's Ginposium in London earlier this month.

"Just in the same way that pubs serve locally grown food from butchers and grocers, then selling gin and spirits from local distillers can have the same caché and certainly a lot of these gins that use some terroir are embracing flavours that locals will know," he told the Publican's Morning Advertiser ​in this exclusive podcast.

While terroir is usually associated with wine, Smith and others in the gin segment believe hyperlocal gins could be the next big gin trend in the UK.

Terroir in gins​

It would be difficult for producers to truly instil terroir into their gins, since the ingredients used to make gin often have to be imported, he said.

But, the use of one local botanical could add enough terroir to a gin and create a point of difference.

"Potentially, this is the future of gin," he added. "Distillers are looking for a point of difference and I think we will see terroir employed in more gins."

Particular brands that had already cashed in on terroir included Edinburgh Gin's Seaside gin – ABV 43% – which contains botanicals associated with the coast.

Hepple Gin​

Hepple Gin from the Moorland Spirits Company, which is partly owned by celebrity chef Valentine Warner, contains botanicals and juniper from the Hepple estate in Northumberland, where the gin is distilled.

Using terroir in the production of gins was likely to give consumers more of a reason to visit a site where the gin is stocked, Smith added.

If, for instance, a pub had its own gin that was infused with botanicals associated with its location, customers were likely to be willing to visit the operation, he said.

Listen to the podcast to get Smith's top tips on the best ways to create your own local gin offer and what to look for if you want to use terroir in your own distillery.