In July 2024, the final of Hayman’s The Original Gin Cocktail Competition, in partnership with Difford’s Guide, took place at the Distillery in London. Judged by
Hayman’s Distillery 8a Weir Road London SW12 0NA
How to get to us
We are a 12-minute walk from Balham station (Northern line, zone 3 Overground and Underground) or a 15-minute walk from Clapham South station (Northern line, zone 2 Underground).
At long last, we can welcome you back to the Distillery!
Enjoy a Distillery Drinks experience here at the Hayman’s Gin Distillery in Balham on Friday and Saturdays.
Over a 2-hour period, you will be able to enjoy three specially prepared gin cocktails at your own table. Our hosts will give you a short introduction to our range of true English gins and will answer any questions you might have. Our cocktail menu varies each week, but you’ll always be able to try our perfect Hayman’s G&T. Additional cocktails including Martinis and Negronis are also available to purchase if you would like to stay for another drink.
Serving, seating and socially-distanced imparting of gin knowledge (rather than any tours) will be in accordance with Government Regulations.
Tables are available for 2, 4 or 6 people. We are taking afternoon bookings at 12 pm, 1 pm, 2 pm and evening bookings at 6 pm, 7 pm and 8 pm. Strictly only 18 years olds and over.
£25 per person (this includes £5 off your first purchase at the Distillery Shop).
Please note
If you had previously booked a tour which has had to be postponed due to Covid or have a tour voucher ready-to-use you can, of course, use your voucher as payment for this experience – or alternatively you could wait until our normal tours resume.
We look forward to welcoming you back to The Home of English Gin!
Our Covid-19 operations policy for our experiences at the distillery.
The health, safety and wellbeing of Hayman’s guests & team is of paramount importance to us. In accordance with the government’s advice and guidance, as well as our own safety consultants, we have taken the following steps: to sanitise our hands at all times, to socially distance tables for our guests and for all those making and serving to wear appropriate PPE.
Please read our policy below and feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
Start by heating a frying pan over a medium/low heat.
In a mixing bowl, add the egg, sugar and milk and whisk.
Next, sift in the flour and grate in the lemon zest and whisk together until well combined.
Lightly butter or oil the pan or if you’re using a non-stick pan, you don’t have to add any fat.
Using a cup or ladle, add about 40ml of the mixture per pancake. You can cook them one at a time and add them to a low heated oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest.
Now, mix your lemon curd and Old Tom Gin together in a bowl.
Start to stack your pancakes and top with some syrup, lemon curd, fresh yoghurt, crushed almonds and lemon rind.
These glasses are tall, slim and elegant, with a thick tulip-style lip; the result is not only an ice-cold G&T, but also a wonderfully aromatic drink. It seems that Hayman’s has got the ideal gin-drinking receptacle down to a perfect science.
In 19th Century London, there was a long tradition of festive ‘Frost Fairs’, which were held towards Christmas on the frozen River Thames. On such occasions, hot gin would be served alongside festive spiced biscuits.
Honouring this London tradition, our Spiced Sloe Gin takes a classic True English Sloe Gin base and layers in a greater influence of warming festive botanicals. The resulting gin retains the rich, generous and fruity frangipane notes for so long associated with English Sloe Gin but adds to this fragrant spice notes redolent of mulled wine.
You can buy a bottle here. make sure to try some of our favourite Spiced Sloe Gin cocktails:
It may not look like much but this tiny bottle of gin can make 40 gin and tonics. I’m pleased our shoppers will be able to try a lower-alcohol version without sacrificing any of the flavour.
The evenings are growing longer, the air is colder and everyone is pondering when it is acceptable to turn on the heating. Autumn is definitely here in England.
Make the most of the changing seasons by enjoying an Autumnal Walk, all finishing with a True English Gin at the end. You’ll have earned it!
Richmond Park
This beautiful haven of nature in South-West London is easily accessible from Richmond, Sheen, Ham, Kingston and Roehampton.
For a long walk, we recommend a lap of the whole park called the Tamsin Trail. Taking approximately three hours, it’s the perfect way to see the changing colours of Autumn. Keep your eyes peeled for deer, which can be hard to spot among the autumnal hue of the park. We also recommend a stop at King Henry’s Mound near Pembroke Lodge for a beautiful view all the way to St Paul’s Cathedral in Central London.
For a shorter route, take part of the trail by entering and exiting via any of Richmond Park’s Gates. Luckily no matter where you start or finish your walk there are some great pubs serving up Hayman’s Gin.
The King’s Head, Roehampton – This spacious pub is just a twenty-minute walk from Roehampton Gate.  Cosy up with a warming mug of Hayman’s Spiced Apple.
Providing tranquillity on the outskirts of Leeds, we recommend a stroll through Horsforth Hall Park. Make sure to head to the park’s Japanese Garden, where you’ll find elements representing the mountains, woodland areas, waterfalls and lakes of Japan.
For a great Autumnal walk in the city, take a stroll along the beautiful canals in central Manchester. Once forming a strategic industrial corridor, the canals are now a beautiful place to relax and take in the waterside views. For a longer walk, you can stroll along the Ashton Canal takes you past locks and the Manchester City Football Stadium.
Situated on the River Thames, Greenwich is one of the ten Royal Parks and boasts iconic views and rich in history.
The park’s 183 acres has something for everyone. Stand on the Prime Meridian which is the reference point for the rest of the world, visit The Royal Observatory, explore the tranquil orchard gardens or visit the deer park. You can even follow in the footsteps of England’s kings and queens with a walk through Greenwich’s ancient trees. We recommend taking the main entrance at the bottom of the park, near the heart of Greenwich and do a loop once around.
There are many cosy pubs to head for a drink afterwards in Greenwich, but we recommend making your way to the Old Brewery. Situated in the heart of the Old Royal Navel college, they serve up Hayman’s London Dry Gin.
Putney Riverside Walk
In London, walking along the Thames is one of the best autumnal spots. Putney is perfect as it boasts beautiful riverside pubs with gorgeous views to match. Start off in Wandsworth Park to see the trees turning autumnal. Then follow Deodar Road along until you reach Putney Riverside. You can walk towards Barnes as far as you like, watching rowing boats pass along the Thames.
For refreshment head to The Duke’s Head, a beautiful Boathouse-style pub with a True English feel. Enjoy a Hayman’s London Dry G&T in our True English G&T glassware.
Can’t find Hayman’s Gin after your favourite walk? Why not make a flask of warming Mulled Sloe Gin? The recipe below is for a single-serve, so scale these up for volume. Slowly heat the ingredients in a saucepan and ladle into a flask to take with you on your autumnal walk.
It has been an incredible week for Hayman’s, as we received a number of awards for our range of True English Gins.
The International Spirits Challenge awarded the Gin Trophy to Hayman’s London Dry.  An award we are particularly proud of as an experienced panel of specialist judges credited Hayman’s London Dry with the highest accolade in its category.  A true recognition of our unique 150-year-old family recipe that still uses a traditional 2-day distillation process.
The Gin Masters were also awarded this week by The Spirits Business.  Again, Hayman’s performed exceptionally well!  Hundreds of gin varieties were blind-tasted by leading spirits and on-trade specialists.
Hayman’s Sloe Gin awarded ‘Master’, the only Master awarded in the category.
So often – for whatever reason – we look for a drink with lower alcohol and fewer calories. Hayman’s Small Gin ™ makes a G&T with both 80% less alcohol and less calories, with no compromise on the great taste of a Hayman’s G&T. A thimbleful is all you need – just pour over ice and top up with tonic.
A low-alcohol and low-calorie G&T but with no compromise on the taste of your Hayman’s G&T – put simply, it’s the biggest innovation in gin for over 100 years.
This 20cl bottle gives you 40 serves using the thimble compared to 28 serves in a 70cl Hayman’s London Dry. Try some of these delicious drinks made with Small Gin below:
Small Gin & Tonic
A G&T made with Hayman’s Small Gin has both 80% less alcohol and less calories, with no compromise on the great taste of a Hayman’s G&T. A thimbleful of Small Gin is all you need…
This cocktail is perfect for those times when you’re celebrating with friends and family and want to drink less. You can still be involved in the cocktail making fun, with a completely clear head the next morning.
Pour the Small Gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup into a cocktail shaker.
Shake and strain into the chilled glass.
Top with Nosecco.
Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.
Lo-Groni
A low-alcohol version of the classic Negroni. If you normally like your Negroni with a strong gin taste, we recommend using 10ml of Small Gin. This packs a flavour punch without being full of alcohol.
To our classic blend of ten signature botanicals, we have added a touch of sugar to create the sweetness traditionally associated with a liqueur. This creates a juniper-forward gin with a bright citrus character and sweetness.
Wonderfully smooth, the high bottling strength and classically balanced botanicals make it perfect to enjoy over the rocks with a simple orange wedge garnish.
Alternatively, for a long refreshing summer serve top with Indian tonic water or ginger beer, and garnish with fresh fruit.
Available to purchase from the Hayman’s of London Distillery in South West London and on our website.
