Ditchling Spirits

Ditchling Spirits distils Ditchling Gin and a toffee vodka called Ditchling Fling from a 150-year-old copper pot still in the village. The gin began as a favour among a group of friends and family asked to produce something for a local village ball, and grew into a distilling operation registered as a company in 2018. It is a London dry style gin made with UK-sourced grain, Sussex spring water and a mix of foraged and bought-in botanicals that includes coriander, orange, lemon, bitter almond, cassia bark and a signature Sussex-grown hop. The finish leans towards sweet orange rather than heavy juniper. Bottles are sold through the distillery directly, independent bottle shops and gin subscription clubs, and have picked up medals from several UK spirits competitions since launch. Production remains small-batch, tied to the village rather than run for national retailers.