East London Liquor Company Batch No. 1 Premium Gin
East London Liquor Company Batch No. 1 Premium Gin is a 45% ABV (90 proof), 750mL premium gin from the East London Liquor Company in Bow Wharf, London — now sold by the distillery as its Brighter Gin — distilled one-shot from 100% British wheat spirit with Darjeeling tea, cassia bark and pink grapefruit. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 45% (90 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Botanicals: Juniper, coriander, angelica, Darjeeling tea, cassia bark, cubeb, pink grapefruit peel
- Method: One-shot distillation, copper pot still, no pre-distillation maceration
- Base: 100% British wheat spirit
- Origin: Bow Wharf, East London, England
The Premium Batch from Bow Wharf
East London Liquor Company began distilling in July 2014 in a former glue factory at Bow Wharf — the first distillery making gin, vodka and whisky in East London in over a century. Batch No. 1, the bottling the distillery now calls Brighter Gin, is its premium recipe: where the standard gin leans on cardamom and lemon, this one swaps in Darjeeling tea and cassia bark and bottles at a bolder 45%, each batch yielding only a few hundred bottles from the copper pot still. Browse the gin collection, visit the East London Liquor Company vendor page, or taste the flagship beside it in East London Liquor Company Gin.
Tasting Notes
Nose: A strong grapefruit hit with dry tea and peppery juniper. Palate: Vibrant grapefruit building to sweet spice and woody warmth. Finish: Dry and tannic from the Darjeeling tea.
How to Enjoy
The distillery recommends it in a dry martini, a gin and tonic, or a gin sour — the 45% strength and tea-driven dryness hold their own in all three.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Batch No. 1 the same as Brighter Gin? Yes — East London Liquor Company renamed this bottling Brighter Gin; it is the same 45% premium recipe with Darjeeling tea and cassia bark.
How is it different from the standard East London Gin? Strength (45% vs 40%) and recipe: Batch No. 1 uses Darjeeling tea and cassia instead of the standard gin's cardamom and lemon peel.
What does "one-shot" mean? The botanicals are loaded with the base spirit and distilled in a single run with no prior maceration, so everything in the glass comes from that one distillation.
Tea, spice and grapefruit at full strength — get East London Batch No. 1 Premium Gin from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.