Cainbrook Distillery creates small-batch artisan gin in the heart of rural England, combining traditional English craft with a distinctive African influence.
Inspired by the beautiful countryside surrounding the Cain Brook and by the landscapes, flavours and spirit of Africa, we create characterful gins that bring together two very different worlds.
English by origin.
African by inspiration.
Distilled with adventure.
Cainbrook Distillery is a small, independent family business with an extraordinary heritage — a story spanning two continents, four generations and more than a century of treasured family heritage and tradition.
It begins in 1920s Tanzania, where Moshi lies in the shadow of the mighty Kilimanjaro, with Stella, the family matriarch whose expert hunter and explorer husband, Captain Frank James Miller first summited Africa’s most celebrated mountain in 1925.
Frank was born in England. He sang in St. Albans Cathedral as a child and emigrated to Africa with his family at the age of sixteen.
Stella, Myrtle, Eva and successive generations of remarkably strong women, would all play their part in shaping the creation of a treasured family gin which has made its journey across Africa and, ultimately to the rolling countryside of Warwickshire in the mid-2020s.
A unique interest and celebration of distinctive local African plants and flavours alongside the well known and well loved botanicals has always featured in the creation of our recipes.
The family farm in Moshi benefitted from rich volcanic soil and it is from here that the family love of gardening grew. Stella supplied the local hotels with beautiful flowers and Jimmy (son of Frank and Stella) took great pride in his exciting vegetable garden that featured all manner of wonderful plants and scrumptious hybrid vegetables.
Today, that remarkable inheritance has been brought to life by two chemical engineers — one hailing from the Golden Beaches of east coast South Africa, the other from the rugged landscapes of Northumberland.
United by family and a passion for exceptional gin they founded Cainbrook Distillery to honour their heritage and create something genuinely distinctive.
Cainbrook Gin celebrates a hundred years of family adventure and tradition, explored and captured in a bottle.
Their engineering backgrounds bring scientific precision to the art of distillation, while generations of family knowledge provide the inspiration. The result is the Cainbrook family of Gins — each a beautifully balanced English London Dry Gin, marrying classic botanicals with the warmth, character and subtle spice of Africa.
Inspired by the elegance and romance of 1920s travel — an age of ocean liners, grand adventures and sundowners beneath African skies — Cainbrook Gins celebrate a time when the journey was every bit as important as the destination.
Every bottle is carefully crafted in small batches in the heart of the English countryside, combining meticulous attention to detail with the spirit of a family that has travelled thousands of miles and endured for more than a century.
From Kilimanjaro’s slopes to the banks of the Cain Brook, ours is a story of heritage, craftsmanship and family devotion.
A century in the making. Four generations in the telling. One exceptional family of gins.
Cainbrook Gins.
English Heart. African Soul.
Every good adventure has to begin somewhere..
Ours began rather modestly, at the smallest of scales — a tiny benchtop operation built around a traditional copper alembic still, curiosity and a determination to make a truly exceptional gin.
What followed was a journey of experimentation and discovery. Botanicals were selected, rejected, reconsidered and combined again, acknowledging the subtle changes that can transform a good gin into a great one. Distillations were refined, recipes adjusted and countless small batches made in pursuit of that elusive balance between aroma, strength of the heart of the gin and satisfyingly smooth aftertaste.
It was part laboratory, part expedition.
Eventually, there comes a point in every adventure when you have to leave the map behind and take the leap.
For Cainbrook, that meant moving from experimentation to commercial distilling.
Today, at the heart of Cainbrook Distillery sits Bahari, our magnificent 40-litre traditional copper alembic still. Her name means “ocean” in Swahili, a nod to East Africa, Tanzania and the spirit of travel and exploration that runs through everything we do.
With her polished copper, traditional form and distinctly old-world elegant character, Bahari would not have looked entirely out of place in the golden age of the 1920s.
Small enough that every distillation remains genuinely handcrafted, but large enough to produce Cainbrook Gin on a beautifully consistent scale, Bahari gives us precise control over every batch we make.
Copper, botanicals, patience and a little adventure.
Premium botanicals are carefully chosen and expertly blended in every small batch.
Our botanicals are a rich blend of African spice with locally sourced English cottage garden picks.
Our recipes use the finest selection of herbs, spices, florals and teas.
Cardamom, Acacia and Hibiscus blended alongside Rose, Thyme and Mint.
A rare and exciting juxtaposition resulting in uniquely smooth and clearly distinctive taste profiles that define our London Dry Gins.
African flavours nestled seamlessly alongside classical English notes work in harmony to produce unique London Dry Gins.
Smooth, elegant and distinctive flavour profiles are achieved.
Prepare to experience a tasting journey from the initial inviting sniff of fragrant botanicals, right through to the clean finish that leaves you longing for the next sip.
Cainbrook Gin is unique.
Cainbrook Gin is profound.
Cainbrook Gin is classic.
If sheep breeding also happens to be of interest, we would be delighted to hear from you. Alongside the distillery, we keep a fine selection of registered pedigree rare-breed sheep, including the striking Valais Blacknose and Zwartbles.
Whether you are looking to start your own flock, introduce new bloodlines or simply share an enthusiasm for these wonderful breeds, we would be very happy to have a conversation.
Our small flock is constantly expanding, so get in touch to find out more!
