James Hawker & Co. Ltd., (Pernod-Ricard Group) Montford Place Distillery, Kennington, London, England, UK.

William Hawker created a recipe for Sloe Gin back in the 1790’s. In the 1820’s the family started a wine merchant business called James Hawker & Co. Ltd., based in Bretonside, Plymouth, England. The business stayed at this same location for so long that the road it was on became named Hawker’s Avenue, after the company. Although not trading at this site anymore, the building still exists today. The family business, using William Hawker’s recipe, were the very first company to produce and market a Sloe Gin. Hawker’s became the authority in Sloe Gin and the brand has endured for almost two hundred years.

Allied Domeqq eventually acquired the company and the brand suffered as they all but gave up competing against Gordon’s Sloe Gin. Fortunately Allied Domeqq (who also owned Beefeater Gin) was bought by the Pernod-Ricard Group in 2005 and the brand has continued. However, Pernod Ricard whilst it has spent a lot of time and effort in very successfully re-launching the Beefeater brand, it has done very little with Hawker’s Sloe Gin (it is not even mentioned on their website). This is a real shame, especially given its heritage and obvious quality. Let us hope Pernod Ricard find the desire to revitalize this wonderful product, we believe it would be a true winner given the backing of their resources.

Pernod Ricard. 

Hawker’s Sloe