Sarah Miller

IWSC Market Insight: sustainable spirits packaging

IWSC Judge Sarah Miller shares some insight into the current trends, developments and initiatives around sustainable packaging - an increasingly hot topic within the spirits industry.

How to drink more sustainably at home

Nobody wants to talk about the pandemic anymore, but there's no avoiding the way in which it changed our drinking habits. The closure of bars and restaurants not only shifted where we drink, but it also inspired drinkers to be more ambitious on the home front, from purchasing premium products and ready-to-serve drinks to getting creative with the cocktail shaker.

The gin makers now harnessing native juniper

When searching for Macedonian juniper in the spice markets of Delhi, to his surprise, Anand Virmani discovered that the botanical also grew in India. Commonly used in incense sticks and traditional Ayurvedic medicine, it turns out that the dried Himalayan juniper also works very well in gin.

Hospitality venues setting the bar for sustainability

The hospitality sector's supply chain is estimated to be responsible for 15 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the UK and yet, despite being part of such a notoriously wasteful industry, bars have been relatively slow to confront their environmental impact.

Thinking Inside the Box: Is your favourite gin brand using sustainable packaging?

The quest to make spirits packaging more sustainable is full of potential pitfalls - but gin makers are also devising some ingenious solutions. When it comes to spirits packaging, the gin industry is one of the most creative. But with sustainability a growing concern for consumers and producers alike, a beautiful bespoke bottle is no longer enough to cut it.

Thirsty Work: How do you make gin with less water?

Making gin is thirsty work, so reducing water consumption is one area that distillers can focus on to reduce their environmental impact. Water is fundamental for all life on earth, but it is also a finite resource.

Shifting sands and rising costs

It seems that each year we enter another period in which commentators are right to call "unprecedented times". And for Gin in the UK, it really is once more but not for the glorious reasons of years gone by. Huge challenges lie ahead for British producers and they are coming in thick and fast from multiple angles.

Australian Agave

Tequila is one of the fastest growing spirit categories in the world, but such unprecedented demand is putting the already precarious Mexican agave industry under huge strain. A type of Mezcal made from agave - a large and spiky succulent native to arid regions of the Americas - the huge popularity of the spirit, and demand for the plant, can result in shortages tempting farmers and producers into cutting corners.

Credit where it's due: The distilleries getting on with carbon offsetting

From extreme weather patterns to melting glacier caps and rising sea levels, climate change is wreaking havoc on our world. Caused primarily by burning fossil fuels, which increase heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere, the only way to limit global warming is to dramatically reduce emissions worldwide.

IWD 2022: Mothers making their mark on the gin world

To mark International Women's Day, Sarah Miller meets mothers who have founded, or helped to found, leading gin distilleries.

IWD 2022: How women's relationship with gin turned sour

Despite the spirits industry often appearing male dominated, women have played a significant role in the history of distillation. So, why did they become so negatively associated with gin?

Glass sustainability

Spirits packaging has always been crucial in making a brand stand out, but never more so than now. The pandemic accelerated online sales meaning more consumers than ever are purchasing products without first picking them up. In an increasingly competitive market, it's little wonder so many brands are trying to claim an advantage with new, attractive and eco-friendly packaging.

Is French gin finally having a moment?

'There has definitely been an explosion on the gin front' confirms François Granier, Wine & Spirits Trade Advisor at Business France, a government agency responsible for promoting French exports and facilitating international investment in France. While the global gin craze has played its part, there's interest from the inside, too.

In the Spirit of Sustainability

We are in the midst of a climate crisis, and sustainability is on everyone's agenda. Consumers are increasingly keen to invest in products that tread lightly on the planet, and producers are under increasing pressure to prove their eco-credentials.

What does it mean to be a B Corp brand?

Based on the belief that business can be a force for good, the B Corporation movement, which originated in the United States in 2006, reached UK shores in 2015. But it was in March 2020 that the number of businesses applying for certification soared, making the UK one of the fastest growing - and now the second largest - B Corp community in the world.

How gin distilleries are harnessing renewable energy

The spirits industry has a tendency to romanticise, if not outright fetishise, traditional distillation in copper pot stills. An inherently energy-heavy process, with high temperature required at its heart, the use of gas-fired alembic stills is both inefficient and incredibly carbon intensive...

Why using sustainable ingredients matters in gin making

We are in the midst of a climate emergency, and well-informed consumers are increasingly aware of this fact. They are actively seeking out sustainable brands, and are also willing to pay more for sustainable products.

Bushtucker trials: making gin with native juniper

Despite being fundamental to the nature and flavour of gin, we tend to talk about juniper in a very generic way. And perhaps that's understandable; EU regulations stipulate that the spirit must be "produced by flavouring ... [specifically] with Juniperus communis", or common juniper.

Eye On E9

From peaceful Victoria Park to the changing face of Hackney Wick, E9 is a place of contrast and evolution. Here are a local's stories from the beating heart of Hackney.

Introducing… Sarah Miller, Gin-a-ding-ding

Meet the Team #8: Sarah Miller

Meet the Team introduces you to the writers and experts behind Gin Magazine and gin-mag.com, as they talk about their lives both in and outside the gin world. This week, we meet Sarah Miller, the face behind Gin A Ding Ding and lauded as one of the UK's top gin bloggers.

Gin a Ding Ding - Interview with Sarah Miller

Always keen to support the gin community and highlight the wonderful people within it, we caught up with top gin blogger, gin awards judge and founder of #GinADayMay, Sarah Miller, to find out all about her blog 'Gin a Ding Ding' and some of her top gin recommendations and tips for gin lovers and bloggers.

Meet the Blogger - Gin A Ding Ding

In our latest Meet the Blogger, we caught up with Sarah Miller, the founder behind the very popular Gin A Ding Ding gin blog. Sarah is a gin drinker, gin reviewer, gin writer and more recently a gin judge.

Emerging Talent in Spirits Communication 2023 shortlist

The IWSC's 2023 Emerging Talent in Spirits Communication Trophy is sponsored by In 2022 the IWSC launched its Emerging Talent in Spirits Communication award. This year marks only the second year the title will be awarded and following 2022's strong shortlist of contenders, our 2023 shortlist once again highlights the exciting future of the category.

Why It's Perfectly Fine to Call Your Whisky "Smooth"

Welcome to Show Me the Proof, a column where we pose big questions to the booze world and get drinks experts to argue the finer points. Today, distiller/author Aaron Hyde explains why he's happy with using the word "smooth" to describe a spirit he likes.

Emerging Talent in Spirits Communication 2022 shortlist

We are delighted to be announcing the shortlist for another new award to the IWSC, our Emerging Talent in Spirits Communication award. Seeing the positive impact our Spirits Communicator award has had on our winners the IWSC created this new award to recognise individuals who have recently set out on their journey to become the next big name in spirits communication, demonstrating their knowledge and passion to their audience in innovative and creative ways.

Visions in juniper: what will 2020 bring for gin?

2020 looks to be another big year for gin, but what exactly does the future have in store? We spoke to experts from around the world to get their take.