LIQUID HISTORY
Distilled in London since 1736, Nicholson’s history is, essentially, the origin story of gin itself. Add to that its peerless quality credentials and hero-status amongst London’s bartending elite, and you have a brand that’s in a league of its own.
Cocktail Heritage
As the Golden Era of the cocktail roared in, Nicholson was the brand for the discerning drinker. It was house pour at The Savoy and namechecked in Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book, Harry McElhone’s Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails and Albert Stevens Crockett’s The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book. And cocktail legends don’t come any bigger than that.
The Original London Dry
The London Dry flavour was developed by Nicholson in the early 1830's because Gins of that time were being distilled from all sorts of grains, some wholesome, some were destined to be waste. The grain spirits were often rough, and often sweetened or otherwise adulterated to make them palatable. The London Dry flavour was a dry style of gin which used the new continuous Cofey still to create a highly rectified nearly pure spirit. This high strength distillation removed the unpleasant flavours found in earlier gins.
Nicholson & Sport
Nicholson’s relationship with sport goes back to 1866 when William Nicholson loaned the MCC funds to purchase the freehold of Lord’s Cricket Ground. The grateful MCC went on to adopt Nicholson’s bacon & egg colours for their own. In 1890, the MCC’s new Pavilion opened thanks to the generosity of William Nicholson who funded its construction and was affectionately known as the Gin Palace. Today, our association with sport continues with our partnership with Goodwood Racecourse.
