James Hayman comes from enviable gin stock. A direct descendant of the creator of Beefeater, he has worked for his namesake company since 2004. Today, Hayman's of London remains family-owned, but the distiller's clear lines of control have not made it immune to the downturn in gin in recent years. Last month, Global Drinks Intel editor Olly Wehring dropped in at the Hayman distillery in south-west London to see how the company is faring.What’s the history of Hayman’s?We really date back to 1863; Nobody else has the unbroken lineage that we've got. My great-grandfather was James Burrough, w
‘We will see consolidation – being in the middle gives us a position of strength’ – Hayman’s of London co-owner James Hayman speaks to Global Drinks Intel
‘Some of the craft names have made more of an impact, but we’ve been quietly getting on with making gin in London.’

Olly has been reporting on the beverage industry as a B2B journalist since 2003. He spent 18 years at Just Drinks, 16 of which as managing editor. Since joining Global Drinks Intel in 2022, he's interviewed the CEOs for brand owners including AB InBev, Campari Group, Carlsberg, Heineken and Suntory Global Spirits and has a bulging contacts book from across beverage alcohol worldwide.



