20 Distilleries That Also Make Gin, Rum, or Vodka

The manifest listed whisky, but when the crates opened, there was gin, vodka, rum — even poitin. Somewhere between survival and ambition, these distilleries decided that one spirit was not enough to tell their story. The air inside smells different here: juniper layered over malt, citrus peel drying beside peat.

There is a practical reason so many whisky distilleries make gin or vodka: whisky needs three years in a cask before you can legally call it whisky (in Scotland, at least). That is three years of rent, rates, wages, and electricity with nothing to sell. Gin can go from botanical to bottle in a day. It is not a side project — it is a survival strategy.

The Five-Spirit Heavyweights

1. Penderyn Distillery — whisky, gin, vodka, rum, liqueur

Penderyn DistillerySouth WalesToursShop

Penderyn is not just Wales' most famous distillery; it is the most diversified in our entire database. Founded in 2000, they make whisky using a unique Faraday single-copper-pot still, plus a full range of gins, vodkas, a Welsh rum, and cream liqueurs. They have expanded to three sites — the original in the Brecon Beacons, plus Llandudno (2021) and the Swansea Copperworks (2023). All three sites produce across the full range.

2. East London Liquor Company — whisky, gin, vodka, rum

East London Liquor CompanySouth East EnglandToursShop

Operating out of a former glue factory in Bow since 2014, ELLC makes everything. Their London Rye whisky was one of the first English rye whiskeys, their gin range is strong, and they produce both rum and vodka. It is the kind of urban distillery that would not have existed twenty years ago.

3. Spirit of Manchester Distillery — whisky, gin, rum, vodka

Spirit of Manchester DistilleryNorth EnglandToursShop

Manchester's own, producing across four categories since 2016. They started with gin (their One-Eyed Rebel is a city staple), moved into rum and vodka, and now have English whisky maturing. This is a distillery that grew outward from gin rather than waiting for whisky.

Whisky Distilleries With Serious Gin Credentials

4. Bruichladdich Distillery — whisky, gin

Bruichladdich DistilleryScottish IslandsToursShop

Bruichladdich is known for progressive, terroir-driven Islay whisky — but they also make The Botanist, one of the most acclaimed gins on the planet. It uses 22 hand-foraged Islay botanicals in a Lomond still. The Botanist was not an afterthought. It has become one of the best-selling premium gins in the world, and it funds some of the more experimental whisky work Bruichladdich does.

5. Cotswolds Distillery — whisky, gin, liqueur

Cotswolds DistilleryMidlandsToursShop

One of England's leading whisky producers, but their Cotswolds Dry Gin is what put them on the map first. Founded 2014 in the heart of the Cotswolds, they use locally grown barley for their whisky and a lavender-heavy botanical mix for the gin. Both are excellent. They also make a cream liqueur that sells well locally.

6. The Glenturret — whisky, gin

The Glenturret DistilleryCentral ScotlandToursShop

Scotland's oldest working distillery (1763) has partnered with Lalique for its premium whisky range — but they also produce Hosh gin, distilled on-site using botanicals from the estate. It is a quiet side operation at a distillery that does not need to diversify for cash flow reasons. They just wanted to make gin.

7. Isle of Harris Distillery — whisky, gin

Isle of Harris DistilleryScottish IslandsToursShop

Harris Gin, with its sugar kelp botanical and that distinctive turquoise bottle, became a cult hit before the distillery had any whisky to sell. Founded in 2015 as a "social distillery" to provide employment on the Isle of Harris, the gin bankrolled the whisky operation. Their first single malt releases are now arriving, but the gin remains the star.

8. Tobermory Distillery — whisky, gin

Tobermory DistilleryScottish IslandsToursShop

The only distillery on the Isle of Mull produces both unpeated Tobermory and peated Ledaig whiskies — plus a gin that uses local Mull botanicals. Founded in 1798, the distillery sits on the colourful Tobermory harbour front. The gin is a relatively recent addition but fits the maritime character well.

The Irish Poitin Tradition

9. Ballykeefe Distillery — whiskey, gin, vodka, poitin

Ballykeefe DistilleryEast IrelandToursShop

A family-run farm distillery in Kilkenny, founded 2017. They grow their own grain and produce across four categories. Their poitin — the traditional Irish unaged spirit — is made from estate-grown malted barley and has won international awards. This is field-to-glass at its most literal.

10. Micil Distillery — whiskey, gin, poitin

Micil DistilleryWest IrelandToursShop

A Galway distillery reviving a centuries-old family poitin tradition. The Micil family have been making poitin (legally and otherwise) for generations. Their gin uses bog myrtle and other Connemara botanicals. The whiskey is arriving now, but the poitin is the historical heart of the operation.

11. Glendalough Distillery — whiskey, gin, poitin

Glendalough DistilleryEast IrelandToursShop

In the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin, Glendalough forages seasonal botanicals for their Wild Botanical Gin range — different gins for different seasons. Their poitin is traditionally made, and the whiskey programme is building. Founded 2013.

12. Echlinville Distillery — whiskey, gin, poitin

Echlinville DistilleryNorthern IrelandToursShop

Northern Ireland's first new licensed distillery in over 125 years (founded 2013). They grow barley on-site, make poitin from it, and produce gin alongside their maturing whiskey stocks. Their Dunville's whiskey brand revives a historic Belfast name.

The Rum Runners

13. Da Mhile Distillery — whisky, gin, rum, liqueur

Da Mhile DistillerySouth WalesToursShop

An organic farm distillery in west Wales that produced the first Welsh whisky in over a century. They also make gin, rum, and liqueurs — all organic. Founded 2012. The name means "two thousand" in Welsh, a nod to the millennium when the founder first commissioned a Welsh whisky from Springbank.

14. Holyrood Distillery — whisky, gin, rum

Holyrood DistilleryCentral ScotlandTours

Edinburgh's newest whisky distillery, in a former railway goods station. They make gin and rum alongside their maturing whisky stocks. Founded 2019, their approach is experimental — they play with yeast strains and fermentation times in ways most Scotch distilleries would not consider.

15. Copeland Distillery — whiskey, gin, rum

Copeland DistilleryNorthern IrelandToursShop

Based in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland, Copeland draws on the town's smuggling history. They make gin, rum, and are maturing Irish whiskey. Founded 2019. Their rum is an unusual offering for an Irish distillery — inspired by the Caribbean spirits that once passed through Donaghadee's harbour.

Field-to-Bottle Operations

16. Arbikie Highland Estate Distillery — whisky, gin, vodka

Arbikie Highland Estate DistilleryEast ScotlandToursShop

A genuine field-to-bottle operation on the Angus coast. Arbikie grows its own barley, wheat, potatoes, and rye, then distils them into whisky, gin (Kirsty's Gin), and vodka. Their Highland Rye whisky was one of the first Scotch rye whiskies. Founded 2013.

17. Copper Rivet Distillery — whisky, gin, vodka

Copper Rivet DistillerySouth East EnglandToursShop

Grain-to-glass in the historic Chatham Dockyard. They grow heritage grain varieties and distil everything on-site — whisky, gin, and vodka. Founded 2016, in a building where Victorian warships were once fitted out.

18. The Lakes Distillery — whisky, gin, vodka

The Lakes DistilleryNorth EnglandToursShop

A converted Victorian farmstead in the Lake District, producing whisky, gin, and vodka since 2014. Their Whiskymaker's Reserve series has won serious critical praise. The gin (using local Cumbrian botanicals) and vodka funded the early years.

19. Dingle Distillery — whiskey, gin, vodka

Dingle DistillerySouth IrelandToursShop

On Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way, Dingle was one of the first new-wave Irish distilleries (founded 2012). Their gin won multiple awards before the whiskey was ready. Now producing across all three categories, with the whiskey programme fully mature and delivering single malts and single pot stills.

20. Bimber Distillery — whisky, gin, vodka

Bimber DistillerySouth East EnglandToursShop

London's only single malt whisky distillery, tucked away in North Acton since 2015. They make gin and vodka alongside their whisky, and their single malt releases sell out within hours. Bimber proves you do not need a Highland glen or an Islay postcode to make world-class whisky.

Why This Matters

The gin-alongside-whisky model is not going away. Of the 73 distilleries in our database founded since 2015, the majority make at least two spirits. It is smart business — gin pays the bills while whisky sleeps in casks — but it has also created a generation of distillers who are skilled across multiple spirit categories. That cross-pollination shows up in the whisky itself: more experimentation with botanicals, unusual grains, and creative cask finishes.

The era of the single-spirit distillery is not over. But it is no longer the default.