Environment secretary calls for London gin distillery trail

The government’s environment secretary has spoken of establishing a London gin distillery trail to celebrate local producers.

The WSTA is reportedly drawing up a trail of distilleries across London

Liz Truss came up with the idea of implementing a gin trail last month at a tasting in Sipsmith’s and Beefeater’s distilleries with the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

She believes an established gin trail would benefit the UK by attracting tourists and showcasing the quality and diversity of locally made spirits.

As the world’s leading gin exporter, Truss proposed that the spirit has the potential to match whisky’s £4 billion sales overseas with the help of a range of new government-backed initiatives.

She said: “There is a huge opportunity for British gin makers to export more of our first-class products across the globe. Traditional distillers like Beefeater trade on the proud history of this quintessentially British drink and it’s fantastic to also see innovators like Sipsmith, pioneering new techniques and contributing to British gin being enjoyed worldwide.”

The WSTA is reportedly preparing a trail of distilleries across London, and to help Truss’s campaign to raise the international and domestic profile of British food and drink.

Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA, told The Independent that the prospect of a London gin trail would “put the drink and its association with our capital city firmly on the tourist map”.