ShakespeareDistillery
our story
Situated in Stratford upon Avon, the home of William Shakespeare, we are an artisan carbon neutral spirit producer, established in 2015. Inspired by the Tudor period, we take time, attention and passion to produce carefully handcrafted spirits in small batches.
Shakespeare Distillery
spirits with a twist of history
We wanted to create something authentic to this area, the historical town of Stratford upon Avon. The 16th and 17th centuries were a time of great discovery, experimentation and innovation.
At Shakespeare Distillery, we fuse traditional and, in some cases, forgotten ingredients with modern techniques to create exciting new spirits, inspired by the Tudor period. We 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
Our distillery is located on the north western edge of Stratford upon Avon, on the Drayton Manor Farm estate. In 2019, we opened our visitor centre there where you can now enjoy distillery tours and gin schools as well as visit our distillery shop and our coffee and cocktail lounge. In the summer, we also take to the River Avon and run our popular gin tasting cruises in partnership with Avon Boating.
We have a shop in the heart of town, above which is Judith’s School of Spirits, where we offer rum schools, cocktail masterclasses and gin tasting experiences. It’s called ‘Judith’s’ because it was once the home of Shakespeare’s younger daughter, Judith and her husband, Thomas. He was a vintner, selling wines and spirits, so we think the family would have approved of us.
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. So do please come and visit us to see for yourself.
*No appointments are needed to visit the shops; however, you will need to book a space on our experiences.
Visit us
The people
of Shakespeare Distillery
At the heart of everything 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 love of history, Shakespeare Distillery was born using traditional Tudor period ingredients and giving them a fresh twist to create modern spirits.
With a PhD in Astrophysics and a background in marketing, sales and events, Peter oversees the financial management, sales and marketing side of the business. Able to turn his hand to most things, his favourite saying is, ‘Well, it’s not rocket science, is it?’
Our small team has expanded significantly in recent years, as has our range of spirits, experiences and premises. We are proud of that growth but we remain an independent family business, small enough to do everything within our own distillery, passionate about what we do and patient enough to create beautifully complex spirits.
