Contract-distilled gin: how it works and what to check

How the arrangement runs

You provide a recipe, a specification and a brand. The distillery buys or uses neutral spirit, runs your botanicals through its still and fills to your target strength. You pay either per litre produced, per bottle filled or on some other agreed basis. Then your gin is packed under your label.

Variations exist. Some distilleries supply the recipe, so the brand owner chooses from a range. Others work only from the client's formula. Which you pick changes what you can claim as your own product.

What to put in the agreement

A written contract should cover:

• Who owns the recipe and who owns any data from trial runs.
• Who buys the botanicals and the packaging, with ownership of leftover stock settled.
• Minimum and maximum run sizes and lead times.
• The quality specification and how each batch is tested and released.
• What happens to a batch that fails.
• Confidentiality and non-compete terms.
• How either side can end the contract and what happens to stock in progress.
• Which party holds the licences, label approvals and excise registrations.

Use a lawyer for the contract. This guide gives the questions, not legal advice.

Quality: what to check

You are relying on someone else's still, so write a specification you can measure. Include strength, appearance, aroma against a reference sample and any lab checks that your jurisdiction needs. Taste every batch against a retained reference before you release it.

Visit the plant. Look at how spirit is stored, how the still room is kept and how filling is done. A distillery that does not want you to see these has told you something. Ask how they handle cuts, because heads and tails management drives the cleanliness of the finished gin.

Honesty on the label

Say what is true. Many jurisdictions require the label to show who bottled or produced the spirit. Some let you say "distilled for" or "made by". Check the labelling rules where you sell. Our piece on a gin brand story that is true explains why naming your partner can strengthen trust.

Money, minimums and trial runs

Ask the distillery to quote in writing for a trial run and for a full run. Look for the minimum batch size, the setup fee if any, the toll or per-litre charge, who pays for losses and how long a batch occupies the still. A low per-bottle price attached to a large minimum can tie up more cash than a higher price on a smaller run.

Ask about slot availability too. If the distillery fills up during peak season, your launch may wait.

Run a small trial first. Compare the finished gin with your bench sample. Do the citrus and juniper notes survive scale-up? Is the strength where you specified? Did the distillery follow your botanical weights? A trial costs a little and tells you whether the partner can actually make your gin. Keep the notes. They become the starting point of your specification.

Recipes, scale-up and consistency

A recipe that works in a one-litre test does not always scale in a straight line. Botanical ratios, the way the still is charged and the cut points all change with the equipment. Ask the distillery how it scales trial recipes and whether it keeps batch records you can see.

Consistency is the real product. A drinker who buys your gin twice expects it to taste the same. Agree a reference sample that both sides keep. Compare each batch against it before release. If a batch drifts, you want a process for correcting it that does not depend on goodwill.

Questions to put to a distillery on the first call

Keep the first conversation simple. Ask what they make now, what a typical batch looks like, how booked they are and whether they have made gin for other brands. Ask whether you can visit and whether they will make a small trial before any commitment. A distillery that answers plainly and shows you its records is a better partner than one that promises everything.

When contract stops making sense

Contract production suits trials and early growth. It gets harder if the distillery's capacity fills up, if your volume outgrows its minimum slots or if you want control over experimental runs. At that point, compare a move to your own still using the method in distil it yourself or contract it.

We also help set up contract manufacturing arrangements for drinks brands, remotely or on site.

Common questions

Can I contract-distil gin in India?

It depends on the state. Alcohol is a state subject, so licensing and rules for contract production differ. Check with the state excise authority or a licensing adviser.

Who owns the recipe?

Whatever the contract says. Settle it in writing before the first trial.

Does the distillery buy the spirit?

Either side can. Decide it in the agreement, along with who carries the risk if the spirit is of poor quality.

How do I check quality from a distance?

Use a written specification, retained samples and a release step. Visit the plant at least once.