Introduction: Under the leadership of Director General Pal Gleed, The Gin Guild goes beyond industry representation. It fosters a thriving, inclusive community where distillers of all sizes can flourish. With members from over 30 countries, the Guild taps into collective expertise to drive innovation, sustainability, and excellence in gin production. The Annual Ginposium, their flagship event, highlights this commitment by bringing industry leaders together to share insights, best practices, and pioneering techniques. Through such initiatives, The Gin Guild not only celebrates the rich heritage of gin but also ensures it continues to thrive in an ever-changing market.

Pal, considering the growing global interest in craft and artisanal spirits, how does The Gin Guild see its role in supporting smaller, independent gin producers compared to larger, more established brands?

Our shared aim is to create a community for all distillers and producers within the industry, and our whole membership supports that. We can, and do support smaller producers and brands by leveraging our larger members' knowledge and experience for the benefit of all members. Sharing best practices, information, and knowledge is one of the Guild's key strategic pillars; our Annual Ginposium is just one example of this, where speakers from across the industry come together to share their industry knowledge, brand journeys, and distilling expertise.

Even for the smallest producers, being part of an international collaboration supports best practices through shared knowledge. The Guild’s sustainability project (see below) has been a great example of this, and we continue to work to help smaller members and are exploring the viability of creating a distilling apprenticeship scheme for England which could be extremely valuable to all members, but especially smaller ones.

Image: The Gin Guild Sustainability Guide.

Sustainability is increasingly crucial in the spirits industry today. How does The Gin Guild plan to champion sustainability practices among its members and encourage broader adoption across the industry?

For the last year, we have been working with experts from across our membership to build a comprehensive sustainability pathway for Gin distilling businesses. Due to be published for members this year, the guide will include knowledge shared from all business sizes and expertise levels. As always, we are grateful for the time and engagement of so many industry professionals in making this happen; it’s a great indication of the passion for the industry from within our membership. 

How does The Gin Guild leverage social media and digital marketing platforms to not only promote gin but also educate consumers about the craft and artistry behind the spirit?

We are in a unique position to share insight and best practices from across the industry on our social media and newsletters. We celebrate the successes of not just our members, but the wider industry too, whether it's sustainability efforts or thought leadership that deserves highlighting and recognition. Specifically promoting the gin industry, The Gin Guild produces a regular “Meet the distiller” series, highlighting the achievements and thoughts of both key thought-leaders and up-and-coming members of our industry, most recently with the legendary Tom Nichol.

The Gin Guild has a diverse membership from various countries. How does this international perspective influence the Guild's initiatives and vision for the global gin market?

The Gin Guild's international membership is a real gem in our crown, bringing a fantastic mix of perspectives to the table. With members from over 30 countries and counting, we're truly a global family! 

While London is our main hub for events (it is the spiritual home of gin, after all), we're always excited to support our members wherever they are. It's exciting to welcome new brands from places like Brazil, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand – it keeps things fresh and exciting!

Our Ginposium is a perfect example of how we embrace this global flavour. We've had speakers from the USA, India, Italy, Ireland, and Germany recently sharing their unique insights and experiences. It's like a gin-filled trip around the world!

This diverse membership also helps us shape our vision for the global gin market. We're in a fantastic position to coordinate efforts that support our members, no matter where they're based. After all, we're all working towards the same goal – promoting and selling great gin!

We're always looking to improve, which is why we're running a member survey this summer. We want to make sure we're hitting the spot for all our members, whether they're in Birmingham or Brazil.

At the end of the day, what brings us all together is our love for gin. It doesn't matter if you're in Tokyo or Twickenham – if you're passionate about gin, you should be part of our global gin family!

Image: Ginposium 2024, (L-R) Christopher Hayman, Chairman, The Gin Guild having a Q&A session with Lesley Gracie, Hendrick's Gin.

In your role as Director General, what do you see as the most significant challenges facing the gin industry today, and how is The Gin Guild addressing these challenges?

As an industry, we’re still in recovery mode following several recent blows globally, the sector is still not back to pre-pandemic levels in hospitality because of the squeeze on incomes from rising costs and widespread high duty rates for spirits. For many of our members, leveling off demand in key markets, cashflow management and marketing strategy are challenges that we want to help them address. That strategic support is one of our key roles, and as our membership grows, so does our influence.

As a Guild, we’re supporting members in several ways to navigate these challenges. We've frozen membership fees since the pandemic to ease financial pressures. The sustainability toolkit is something many of our members wouldn’t be able to access on their own, and we know it will support them in meeting key green goals. Elsewhere we operate our events on a not-for-profit basis so that all members can participate. To foster a more supportive community, we've made our network more interactive and approachable, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing.

We are all on a continual learning journey, and our upcoming survey will help us better understand what our members want and value most. This feedback will guide our future initiatives, ensuring they align with our diverse membership's needs. By addressing these challenges head-on, The Gin Guild aims to support our members in promoting and selling great gin, keeping the spirit vibrant and resilient.

As the Gin market continues to evolve, what emerging trends do you find most exciting, and how does The Gin Guild adapt to these changing dynamics?

Gin cocktails (at home, and increasingly out), both classics like the martini but new experimental creations from leading bartenders are so exciting. We're also seeing a return to classic gin from contemporary styles as markets mature.  I’m also really excited at the growth in premium bars around the world, a sign of our strong and growing beautiful cocktails and bar culture.

It’s really exciting to see the growth of the gin market in countries like Australia, America, and Japan, and it's really exciting that the IWSR predicts a 5% compound annual growth rate for the gin industry over the next five years.

The Gin Guild places a strong emphasis on education. How does the Guild approach educating consumers and industry professionals about the complexities and nuances of gin production and appreciation?

The knowledge and best practices we share are from across our membership, who share our commitment to supporting producers and the wider Gin industry. The market is evolving at a pace, driven by changes in consumer demand, a growing global marketplace, and an appetite for innovation.  

Gin is a complex category, with many nuances, from the traditional London Dry and distilled gins to sloe gin and Old Tom, or the more recent flavoured gins with significant botanicals added post-distillation and new world gins which are less juniper-forward, which are important to continue to explain to consumers, and our Gin-Note™ flavour guidance is a really useful way to explain what a gin tastes like, before you try it.

Our annual Ginposium event held each June in London is a fantastic opportunity for those in the trade or with a keen interest in gin to learn from the industry on a wide range of topics affecting gin makers and our industry. These are all filmed and available to Gin-thusiasts and people working in our industry to learn from on our website. 

Image: Ginposium 2024 - Record numbers attend Gin Industry’s annual learning and networking event.

How does The Gin Guild facilitate collaboration among its members and other industry stakeholders?

That’s simple – our regular event programme brings together the global Gin industry up to three times a year for networking, education, and collaboration, and members have used these meeting points to take forward new projects – the likes of Four Pillars, Warner’s, Hernö and Stranger & Sons all spring to mind with their recent collabs. The great thing about our events is there is always enough time planned for catching up, which is where a lot of these most creative ideas are dreamt up.

I was also delighted that the members came together and gave their time and experience so generously to collaborate on our sustainability project.

Image: 43 new members from around the world are welcomed to the fellowship of The Gin Guild at the Guildhall in London, on May 4th, 2023.

The Gin Guild has seen significant growth in membership over the years. How does the Guild ensure that its core values and mission remain intact as it expands its reach?

It is actually pretty easy – members understand the purpose of the Guild and we are in essence a worldwide network (or family as I prefer), and we are all attuned to the principle of maintaining excellence in gin distillation. I am always surprised and touched by just how much time our members are happy to give to contribute to the Guild’s events and activities.

Image: Members of the Gin Guild winning at the 2024 London Spirits Competition - (L-R) Hapusa Himalayan Dry Gin, Island Spirit Gin,Tanqueray No. Ten,GinDome Mermaid Navy,Bareksten Botanical Gin,Rutte Dutch Dry Gin,Skywave Orange and Madagascan Vanilla Gin,Nine Sisters Ocean Gin,820 London Dry Gin,Seatrus Acqua di Mare Gin,and Renais Gin.

Looking ahead, what are The Gin Guild's key priorities and initiatives for the coming years, and how do you see the Guild's role evolving in the global spirits landscape?

Good question – we’re all about building appreciable value for our members. We do this in numerous ways, from complimentary training courses to raising the category profile and running educational events for the industry. A key deliverable for this year is our sustainability toolbox for distilling businesses, which is a practical guide to what businesses can do to improve their overall sustainability score.  We’re also exploring the potential for a distiller’s apprenticeship scheme and finding out any other ways we can support our members.

Conclusion 

The Gin Guild, under Pal Gleed’s leadership, champions sustainability, cultivates international collaboration, and prioritizes education, providing distillers with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed. By creating a platform where distillers come together, The Gin Guild advances the interests of distillers worldwide. From the annual Ginposium event to various gatherings throughout the year, the Guild fosters a synergetic space for distillers to learn, network, and grow. Members share their collective knowledge and experiences, enabling smaller distillers to thrive. Meanwhile, larger producers stand as pillars of the community, uniting to address industry-wide issues. With growing interest in craft gins, the future of the industry looks incredibly promising, and we eagerly anticipate the innovations to come.

In conversation with Malvika Patel, Editor and VP, Beverage Trade Network