The story behind Beefeater
Beefeater began with a pharmacist, not a distiller. James Burrough bought a Chelsea distillery site with roots back to 1820, took it over in 1863, and put the Beefeater name on a bottle in 1876. The name comes from the Yeoman Warders, the red coated guards of the Tower of London, and one of them still stands on the label.
Production moved to Kennington in 1958, and the gin is still distilled in London. The method is the part that matters: nine botanicals, juniper, Seville orange peel, lemon peel, coriander seed, angelica root, angelica seed, liquorice root, almond, and orris root, steeped in neutral grain spirit for a full 24 hours in copper pot stills before distillation. No aging. That long maceration is why Beefeater tastes the way it does.
Explore the Beefeater range
The lineup runs from the classic London Dry to the tea infused 24. Here is what we stock and what each bottle brings.
| Expression | Type | Proof / ABV | Tasting notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beefeater London Dry Gin 750mL | London Dry Gin | 80 proof | Juniper forward, Seville orange and lemon peel, dry finish |
| Beefeater Gin 1L | London Dry Gin | 80 proof | Same classic recipe, larger bottle for the bar cart |
| Beefeater Gin 1.75L | London Dry Gin | 80 proof | Party size, built for pitchers and punch bowls |
| Beefeater 24 Gin 1L | London Dry Gin | 90 proof | Green tea, Sencha, grapefruit peel, twelve botanicals total |
| Beefeater Gin 375mL | London Dry Gin | 80 proof | Half bottle, enough for a few rounds of martinis |
Which Beefeater is right for you?
Pricing here is straightforward, which is part of why this bottle has stayed on our shelf for decades. The 750mL is $25.99, the 1L is $33.99, and the 1.75L is $43.99, so the big bottle is the value play if you go through gin at a steady clip. The 375mL is $13.99 and the 200mL is $7.99, both useful for trying a recipe without committing to a full bottle. Beefeater 24 Gin 1L is $34.99, a few dollars over the standard liter for the tea infused version.
Juniper and citrus hold up against vermouth and a twist, and the big bottle lasts.
Enough for a round of Negronis without running dry mid evening.
Green tea and grapefruit peel make it a different drink, still recognizably London Dry.