Our Vodka By London Premium Vodka 35 cl 37,5%

Under the railway arches at Hackney Downs the trains pass overhead every few minutes. Beneath them stands a distillery about the size of a workshop, filling vodka into bottles that look like something a milkman left on the step.

Expert description

Our Vodka By London is an English Vodka from Our/London in Hackney, bottled at 37.5%.

Our/Vodka rests on a simple idea: one global brand, but a distillery in every city, run by people who live there. The recipe is the same everywhere, while the ingredients are sourced as close by as possible and each city gets its own name on the bottle. The distilleries are small enough to sit inside the city rather than out in a field.

The London site opened in November 2015 and is run by Clive Watson, who is behind several London restaurants including Blixen, and Neil Chivers, operations director at the PR agency LD Communications with bands such as the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd on the client list. The space is production, tasting room and event venue in one.

The bottle is the same in every city: a low, broad shape with a screw cap that borrows its look from an old fashioned milk bottle. The label is pure typography and the city name. There is no decoration to hide behind, which suits a distillery under a railway bridge rather well.

Tasting notes

Nose

Clean and lightly grainy with a dry citrus tone. Something bakery like sits behind it, rather like a bowl of wheat flour.

Palate

Lighter in body than the 40 percent vodkas. Mild sweetness in the middle, after which a dry, almost chalky sensation takes over.

Finish

Short and clean with a small prick of pepper. It disappears quickly and leaves the mouth dry.

Specifications

Name: Our Vodka By London
Distillery: Our/London
Region/Country: Hackney, London, England
Type: English Vodka
ABV: 37.5%
Size: 35 CL
Serving suggestion: In a Vodka Tonic with cucumber and lemon peel, where the lower strength keeps the drink easy going.

Flavour profile

Dry · Light · Grainy · Citrus

Did you know?

The grain spirit for Our/London does not come from London but from a site just outside Birmingham. It was the closest place the team could find that could deliver the same purity every time — and they chose to be open about it rather than call everything local.

See our full range of Vodka

Listen to our podcast:

Frequently asked questions about Our Vodka By London

What makes Our Vodka By London different from the other city names?

The ingredients and the hands behind it. The recipe is shared with the rest of the family, but the grain spirit, the water and the bottling itself belong to London, and the bottle is blended and filled in Hackney. The city distillery also decides how the brand is run locally.

Why is it only 37.5 percent?

That is the strength Our/London chose for its release. Lower alcohol gives a lighter body and less burn, which makes the vodka easier to drink neat and gentler in long drinks. In return it takes up less room in a classic Martini.

How big is the distillery?

Small enough to sit under a railway bridge. The plant occupies the arches by Hackney Downs station and holds production, tasting room and event space within the same footprint. It is a very different scale from an industrial vodka plant.

What should I mix it with?

Something that will not drown it. Tonic with cucumber, soda with grapefruit or a plain Vodka Soda with lemon peel all work. To see what other cities and brands can do, look through our Vodka brands.

Does it make a good gift?

Yes, particularly for someone with a connection to London. The format is small and easy to pack, the milk bottle shape is a talking point in itself, and the city name on the label makes it a souvenir without being a tourist object.

Who is behind Our/London?

Clive Watson and Neil Chivers. Watson runs several London restaurants, among them Blixen, while Chivers works in PR with music clients such as the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. They took on the distillery when it opened in November 2015.

Can the distillery be visited?

The site was laid out with both a tasting room and an event space alongside production, so guests were part of the plan from the start. Opening hours and events change, so always check the distillery's own channels before setting off.