Our Story

our story

Situated in the heart of Shakespeare's County, we are an artisan carbon neutral spirit producer, established in 2015. Everything we produce is in small handcrafted batches, ensuring we can devote our time and attention to creating the best tasting spirits around.

Shakespeare Distillery

spirits with a twist of history

Proud to live and work in the historical town of Stratford upon Avon, known worldwide as the birthplace of William Shakespeare, we wanted to create something authentic to our area. Of course we couldn’t distil the bard himself into a bottle, but we could look at the Tudor period in which he lived and the characters he created in his plays, bringing the essence of this into our spirits.

The Tudor era was a significant period for spirit production, as people began using it not only for medicinal purposes, but to enjoy as a recreational drink. The 16th and 17th centuries became a time of great discovery, experimentation and innovation.

At Shakespeare Distillery we aim to recapture this period of innovation by fusing traditional and, in some cases, forgotten ingredients with modern, sustainable techniques to create exciting new carbon neutral spirits. We now produce a range of premium, handcrafted gins and rums made entirely onsite at the distillery, including the award-winning Stratford Dry Gin and Jester Rum.

the distillery

Stratford's only working distillery

Founded in 2015, the distillery is located on the Drayton Manor Farm estate on the north western edge of Stratford upon Avon. In 2019 we opened our doors as a visitor centre and along with our onsite shop, we now offer a suite of popular experiences including Tours, Gin Schools, Gin Tasting Cruises and Cocktail Masterclasses. Our visitor centre has won a number of Gold and Silver awards from the 2020 and 2022 West Midlands Tourism Awards and a 2021 and 2022 Traveller's Choice Award by Tripadvisor. No appointments are needed to visit the shop however you will need to book a space on our experiences.

In 2020 we created a wonderful extension to our visitor space: a Coffee and Cocktail Lounge for early arrivals on our experiences and for those guests who want to linger a little longer, perhaps over a final Stratford G&T? Available to anyone visiting the distillery for a Tour or Gin School, we offer an array of soft drinks, hot drinks and alcoholic beverages, along with some delicious cakes and snacks.

Visit us

Amazing Gin School Experience!! We had a fantastic time at our gin school experience! Wow! Fantastic place, lovely people who were friendly... read moreWe had a fantastic time at our gin school experience! Wow! Fantastic place, lovely people who were friendly and knowledgeable, great fun distilling our own gin and lots of complementary drinks and gin tasting. We thought this was excellent value for money. We will definitely be back. Thank you to all the staff at the Shakespeare Distillery! read less 
 3/14/2023

Excellent afternoon at Gin School 6 of us visited Gin School for my sister's 21st birthday. It was a fantastic experience guided by people who... read more6 of us visited Gin School for my sister's 21st birthday. It was a fantastic experience guided by people who were very knowledgeable and passionate about craft gin. We had lots of fun and giggles throughout the whole afternoon. I think the whole experience was very well conducted, and very generous in terms of complimentary drinks and packaging for your very own gin! Would absolutely recommend this to everyone. read less 
 3/13/2023

Great experience! Really friendly staff. Learned so much about the history of gin and distillery. Staff very knowledgeable and highly entertaining .... read moreReally friendly staff. Learned so much about the history of gin and distillery. Staff very knowledgeable and highly entertaining . Delicious tasting session and would highly recommend both the gin and rum. Just outside Stratford so we used a taxi. read less 
 3/12/2023

A fab experience for 2 within a gorgeous location. My wife and I took part in the Gin School experience. This involved some history about Gin, how the... read moreMy wife and I took part in the Gin School experience. This involved some history about Gin, how the Shakespeare Distillery makes their Gin and some hands on distilling to make our very own blend of Gin ehich we took home. All whilst being lubricated regularly! We had a fab time, and the hosts were very knowledgeable and friendly. We stayed in Stratford upon Avon Town centre, the taxi was £10 to the Distillery. Then we had a lovely meal in town. Thoroughly enjoyed this experience and would highly recommend. read less 
 3/12/2023

Lovely tour from a passionate family business. Lovely tour with a passionate family that have grown a micro gin production! Was gifted this tour and throughly enjoyed... read moreLovely tour with a passionate family that have grown a micro gin production! Was gifted this tour and throughly enjoyed the experience. Friendly and informative and some lovely gins! read less 
 3/11/2023

Brilliant way to spend an afternoon This is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. Informative, fun and interactive and tasting their gins was the icing... read moreThis is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. Informative, fun and interactive and tasting their gins was the icing on the cake. The staff are passionate about what they do and ensure all the guests feel welcomed and involved. Don’t bring your car! Amazing, thank you. read less 
 3/10/2023

One word....Fabulous ! GIN SCHOOL. We had such fun !!! I hadn't expected such a personal experience.The staff, were all family members which... read moreGIN SCHOOL. We had such fun !!! I hadn't expected such a personal experience.The staff, were all family members which was a massive plus as they were so friendly and helpful. We felt that they were enjoying the afternoon as much as us.

After telling us many interesting facts about how gin was used in the past centuries, we were shown the containers used to create gin and taken through the various stages of creating the finished product.

Then came the REALLY fun part, we went into the school room to create own own blend to take home. Again, we were given lots of advice and help whilst also enjoying many gin and tonics.

What a great way for two oap ladies to enjoy a Sunay afternoon ! We will be back. read less 
 3/06/2023

Great fun ! Really interesting and fun gin tour! Really informative and could tell it’s a really nice family run business and the... read moreReally interesting and fun gin tour! Really informative and could tell it’s a really nice family run business and the gin is lovely! Also one of our group loved Rum so that was a lab added bonus 

All staff very friendly and knowledgeable will definitely be back to do the gin masterclass. read less 
 3/05/2023

Informative, interesting and well presented. A well constructed 90 minute distillery tour including the production process and a history of gin development plus tasting of... read moreA well constructed 90 minute distillery tour including the production process and a history of gin development plus tasting of three different products, Divided into four sections each with a different presenter. Good value. read less 
 3/05/2023

The people

of Shakespeare Distillery

At the heart of everything we do is our close-knit team, recognised by our visitors as knowledgeable and incredibly passionate about all we do.

Founder and Head Distiller, Simon, spent two years creating Stratford Dry Gin from his own small copper still at home. Inspired by his Warwickshire location and his love of history, Shakespeare Distillery was born with the aim of using traditional Tudor period ingredients that would have been familiar to the bard and giving them a fresh twist to create modern new spirits. Despite the demands of a growing business, Simon is still very hands on, overseeing the production of all our spirits and the running of our visitor centre, ensuring our customers get a second to none experience. Simon still personally conducts many of our experiences.

With a PHD in Astrophysics followed by a background in Marketing, Sales and Events, Peter joined as Director to help turn Shakespeare Distillery from an idea into reality. He oversees the financial management, sales and marketing side of the business. Peter is very handy to have around, being able to turn his mind to anything and devise something that works! His favourite saying is ‘Well its not rocket science is it?’.

Our small team has expanded significantly in recent years to support with distillery production, running experiences, retail, sales and marketing.

The people

of Shakespeare Distillery

"The staff are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their products and very helpful and friendly!"
Tripadvisor review

At the heart of everything we do is our close-knit team, recognised by our visitors as knowledgeable and incredibly passionate about all we do.

Simon

Founder &
Head distiller

Simon:
Founder & Head DistillerResponsible for setting up Shakespeare Distillery and for creating our spirits. Simon is a proud Warwickshire resident and has been based around Stratford upon Avon for more than 15 years.Being a big fan of gin it seemed to be the perfect place to start and having obtained his own small copper still in 2013 he has been busily experimenting ever since. Inspired by his location and his love of history and voila Shakespeare Distillery was born with the aim of using traditional Tudor period ingredients that would have been familiar to the bard and giving them a fresh twist to create modern new spirits.

Peter

Director

Peter:
DirectorResponsible for IT, Marketing and Events. Peter joined the team to help turn Shakespeare Distillery from an idea into reality. With a background in Astrophysics, followed by event promotion and management, Peter is very handy to have around, being able to turn his mind to anything and manage to work something out that works! His favourite saying is ‘Well its not rocket science is it?’