Hayman’s is the longest serving gin distilling family in England. The story starts in 1863 with James Burrough, who created Beefeater Gin. Though he was formerly a pharmacist, he purchased a firm of gin distillers and renamed the company ‘James Borrough, Distiller and Importer of Foreign Liqueurs’. Employing his chemists experience, Burrough began to improve the gins and liqueurs. When James died in 1897, his three sons took over, acquiring a new distillery site in 1906.
It wasn’t until the 1930s that the third generation entered the business, and the constant growth of the company meant that they once again had to upsize and move locations, this time near the Oval cricket grounds.
The company remained in the hands of the Burrough family until 1987, when it was sold to Whitbread, a decision which divided the family. Christopher Hayman (still part of the Burrough family, son of Marjorie Burrough and Neville Hayman) remained on throughout the Whitbread deal. He set out to expand the range under the Hayman’s label, creating English gins using traditional family recipes rather than new ones. In 2018, Hayman’s moved its distillery back to London, a move which more than trebled its capacity.