Master distiller Sara Sergent joined the ranks of the world’s most notable gin-makers in London May 2 when she was admitted to The Gin Guild.
The Guild was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1638 and aims to protect, promote and invigorate the distillation of quality gin worldwide. More than 60 gin entities from around the world were there to celebrate Sergent and others induction into the guild.
“It's one of the oldest guilds, so the guilds were created a long time ago so that you can have access to the city,” Sergent said. “And it was a way to vet those who were serious about their profession, and very good at what they were doing.”
Sergent and her husband, Rob, opened Alpine Distilling on Main Street in 2016. Sergent is a master distiller who manages the distillery’s gin portfolio and botanical production while Rob oversees the whiskey portfolio.
Sergent is the second woman from the U.S. to be inducted into the organization. Inductees are invited privately to join the guild based on positive contributions to the gin industry. Sergent was nominated for her work promoting, distributing and developing gin by gin specialist and spirits writer David T. Smith and Bombay Sapphire’s Master Distiller Dr. Anne Brock.
Sergent is also the most decorated botanical distiller in the U.S. and has created over 2,400 custom gins — more than any other distiller in history. A selection of her gins are now featured in the guild’s exclusive Gin Archive, which holds over 5,000 different gins including rare gin samples like the Cambridge Distillery Watenshi Gin and the 1495 Verbatim.
Sergent said this year she was the only inductee from the U.S. and the only distiller.
“To be a ward and rectifier as a distiller is very humbling,” she said. “It's very nice one to be to be noted and picked from that because being from the U.S. and making gin, you know, there's not many of us as it is, and then to be honored over in basically the home of gin is quite an honor.”
Find a link to learn more about Alpine Distilling and Sergent’s gin and botanical spirits at kpcw.org.
