The Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon. Philip Hammond MP, accompanied local MP Mary Macleod this week to visit the Sipsmith distillery in Chiswick with one of its founders, Fairfax Hall. 

Philip Hammond was told that Sipsmith, a local distillery that has been in existence since 2009, was the first distillery to be given a licence to distil vodka and gin in London for 200 years.  Fairfax Hall is co-founder with Sam Galsworthy, would fulfilled their long-held desire to set up an artisan distillery in London.

They were able to rent a site in Chiswick and export their products to 23 countries worldwide, including Australia and the United States.  The Savoy Hotel prides itself on being able to tell the story of the products that it uses and was impressed by the history of Sipsmith.

The Foreign Secretary was told how bottles of Sipsmith sold in duty-free outlets sold in higher quantities when the Union Flag was printed on the bottle.  Philip Hammond was encourage to hear that they have increased their production sevenfold since 2009.

Mary commented:

“It was excellent to see a small Chiswick business making such a great impact for Britain abroad.  I am very pleased to see that Fairfax and Sam used their entrepreneurial skills to achieve a life-long dream of theirs.  I hope their story will encourage others to start their own businesses and keep Chiswick firmly on the map of successful small business owners.”