English Spirit

Distillation arrived in England during the 12 Century and by the 14th Century abbeys, alchemists and apothecaries were distilling elixirs and other tonics. In the 15th century spirits were competing with beer and wine as social drinks but by the 18th century gin consumption had become a major social problem, resulting in strict laws on spirit production. Today spirit production in the UK has lost its stigma of old and is focused on craft production.