Botanical supply and juniper in relation to gin are some of the most searched-for topics on Everglow Spirits. It’s clear that craft gin distillers are increasingly focused on achieving quality and consistency in their ingredients. To provide expert insight, this supplier spotlight shines on Beacon Commodities, a family-owned and run company specialising in botanicals for gin production.
Their expertise and reputation usually precede them. However, for those new to the name, Beacon Commodities has positioned itself as a key supplier in the industry. They specialise in gin botanicals and working directly with farmers and distillers to ensure quality and reliability.
In this article, we discuss the journey of a botanical from sourcing to a distiller’s hands and the challenges involved. We look at how distillers can ensure quality and consistency in their botanical supply. We also delve into the sustainability challenges in sourcing juniper and other key botanicals. Lastly, we offer insight around how to navigate the increasing disruption Climate Change is causing on the supply chain.
A botanical journey – from sourcing to distiller’s hands
The process of sourcing botanicals isn’t as straightforward as many assume. Each botanical has its own specific growing conditions, harvest cycle, and post-harvest processing requirements that must be carefully managed.
Crops are seasonal, subject to availability, and require extensive planning to ensure distillers receive consistent quality year after year. Not only do botanical wholesalers need to forecast a year ahead of themselves, they also need to compete against other industries. For example, citrus peels for the distilling industry is small change vs fresh fruit, juices and food industries.
Explaining the challenges involved, Beacon Commodities’ Owner Tommy Haughton said, “When people think of botanicals, they often assume they’re available year-round, but the reality is that we’re working within very tight harvest windows. If you don’t plan ahead, you can miss your opportunity.”
Once harvested, botanicals go through a meticulous process to preserve their essential oils, flavours, and overall quality. Often – that first stage is drying, where moisture is removed to prevent spoilage while retaining the botanical’s aromatic compounds.
And while it might sometimes look rustic, like having citrus ribbons hanging on washing lines under the Egyptian or Spanish sun – it’s anything but.
“Drying needs to be done within a specific timeframe and under controlled humidity levels. If it’s too quick, you risk losing essential oils. If it’s too slow, you open the door to mould and contamination. The window [of opportunity] is tight. For citrus peels – most of the quality issues distillers will find come from processing errors people have made, not from the raw material [which is relatively stable as a crop].”
Understanding juniper – the backbone of Gin
Juniper is the defining botanical of gin, and its terroir plays a huge role in its flavour. Distillers often appreciate how much the regional differences in juniper will affect their final product. However, many underestimate the impact around how the botanical is picked and processed. It can fundamentally sway flavour.
“The way juniper is dried and stored after picking has just as much impact on flavour as where it’s grown” explains Haughton. “A bad Lot from a good region, or poor drying conditions can lead to musty aromas or muted berries. Either of those could completely change the final distillate.”
As always supply continuity is key. As are rigorous quality checks along the processing journey. According to Haughton, by ensuring that processing and storage is as good as it can be – you can safeguard quality long into the future and allow for a (potential) shelf life of years, not months,
“Many people think that older juniper is lower quality, that fresher is better. But that’s not always true. A well-stored batch from a previous harvest can sometimes be better than a poorly handled fresh one.”
The changing demand for juniper
The gin boom has driven demand for juniper to record highs, and with it, a growing need for sustainable sourcing solutions to cater to the increased volumes. In parallel, as consumer preferences evolve, so too has the interest and messaging around Gin’s core ingredient. This has lead to unprecedented levels of scrutiny during the selection process and increased levels of transparency (and forms) required along the way.
While this is positive overall, it’s not without it’s challenges at wholesale level. Namely, the surge in demand has placed some strain on traditional juniper growing regions, leading suppliers to seek alternative sources. Haughton says responding to this has been a large part of the evolution of Beacon Commodities over the past decade.
“As more distillers mature in the market, the pressure on juniper supplies increases. It’s not just about finding more juniper, it’s about ensuring it’s of the right quality and that harvesting remains sustainable.“
“We’ve built more of a buffer, more regions, more suppliers, collectors. And having the option for us of cleaning in the UK was another big one. It’s meant we can buy quicker and process it ourselves. So, it’s about opening up the supply chain to increase the quantity we’re buying, but also spread the risk.”
Volumes aside – quality remains key as it always has done.
Thankfully, this is becoming easier as there is more clarity over what producers want. The reason behind more focussed goalposts is simple: the Craft Distilling sector is maturing.
When it comes to Gin, flagship expressions are better known now. Not only are batches being made more frequently, the need to make their flavour profiles consistently is also an increasing concern. Many of the small brands are bigger now too, which allows for a scaling in infrastructure. Furthermore, it’s due to an increasing amount of producers who, a decade into the gin boom, understand good raw material intake and storage and what they need from the likes of juniper, coriander seed and citrus peels.
More producers are running their own Quality Assessments and bench trials, and more of them are able to better articulate what they are looking for in the first place. Makers have honed their craft and understand the value of quality botanicals and the power of a steady supply chain.
The impact of climate & seasonal changes on availability & pricing
Many botanicals are harvested only once per year, meaning wholesalers need to anticipate fluctuations in supply and pricing months out. Yet it is increasing difficult to do this. Weather extremes like droughts and fires can dramatically affect availability and are becoming part and parcel of life on earth. There are a lot more asterisks attached to long lead planning now…
“I think that forest fires is a very interesting one, because I think that’s something they’ve got to live with. If the Balkans keep on getting month after month of 30 – 40 degrees, it’s very easy for these fires to start. Last year, we saw forest fires in Macedonia that prevented many collectors from entering the mountains at harvest time. It could in the future wipe out large areas of the crop.“
Haughton expands on this by offering a glimpse into the lesser spoken about areas of picking and foraging at commercial scale. “There’s also the other end of the spectrum and the human factor to consider. Rangers (or equivalent Forestry Commissions) will sometimes say pickers are not allowed in. That’s happened already – citing risk of forest fire, or starting forest fire.“
Beyond climate factors, geopolitical issues have also begun to play a significant role. Trade restrictions and conflicts in key sourcing regions can suddenly disrupt availability or drive up costs. Haughton advises distillers who rely heavily on a single source for botanicals to consider how global events could impact their supply.
“We used to source a lot of coriander seed from Russia, but with the current situation, that’s no longer an option. Russia is a massive supplier of that botanical, and that just fell off overnight. So you can invest a lot of time, money, effort and branding in making provenance a key USP, and then suddenly, it’s no longer available…”
In years to come, the disruption is likely to worsen. While suppliers are diversifying their sources to manage risk, distillers also need to think long-term about the selections they are making.
The strategic choices they make now will determine their ability to maintain consistency and quality in an increasingly unpredictable market.
How distillers can achieve consistency in their botanicals
“One of the simplest but most overlooked things a distiller can do is store their botanicals properly. Temperature, humidity, and exposure to air all degrade flavour over time. Bad storage can ruin even the highest-quality botanicals. Invest in creating optimal conditions from the start.”
Consistency is one of the biggest challenges distillers face when working with natural ingredients. When it comes to Gin, a lot of the work that goes into doing that is at raw material supply and storage stage.
Put simply – a batch of juniper or coriander today will not taste the same as the next one unless proper storage and handling are prioritised.
Regular quality checks are key to ensuring batch-to-batch consistency. But most of all, it’s about making time for it and taking a moment to implement best practice. It’s all too easy for it to become protocols that are ignored when production gets busy.
It’s an area that Haughton is adamant about. “Storage is just as important as sourcing. We keep everything in carefully controlled conditions to prevent moisture or contamination from affecting quality. Every batch that arrives in our warehouse is checked by hand. If it’s not up to standard, it doesn’t go out.”
And it shouldn’t stop there. There’s a lot that producers can replicate in their own distillery spaces to continue prolonging an ingredient’s shelf life. It’s possible to maintain botanical quality long after botanicals have been delivered.
For those interested in learning more: There are two articles about Quality Control & Quality Management in a distillery setting. There is also a Raw Material storage specific insight article coming soon.
Advice for new distillers sourcing botanicals
For new distillers entering the market, sourcing high-quality botanicals while balancing cost and sustainability can be daunting. Beyond what has already been shared in this article, Haughton offers some practical advice:
“Start by building a relationship with a trusted supplier. The more we know about your needs, the better we can help you navigate sourcing challenges.”
It’s an obvious point, but an important one we wholeheartedly agree with. Picking the right supplier is arguably as important as the botanicals that arrive. At the end of the day, they are the ones who will respond to your needs and who you will work with.
Beacon, for example, are gin specialists. They have long established, distilling focussed pickers, driers and farmers. They rent space within a specific spice warehouse within the UK, can process differently and the small details that can lost elsewhere become invaluable in making day to day operations easier for distillers at the end of the chain.
We were reminded of this as we digressed during our conversation with Haughton, and when a comment reflected his implicit level of understanding. “ We’re found that quite a few craft distillers have smaller stills with small exit pipes. They don’t like the really long ribbons, because the ribbon gets stuck and just blocks everything up, whereas the bigger guys have always wanted lovely, long citrus peel. So, we do two grades of length, and we can also kibble it too.”
The future of botanical sourcing
As the craft gin sector continues to evolve, distillers need to think about their supply chain as much as their flavour profiles. Securing high-quality botanicals isn’t just about finding an ingredient either. It’s about building a strategic partnership that ensures consistency, adaptability, and long-term sustainability.
Distillers must take an active role in managing their raw materials. This means running regular quality assessments, conducting bench trials, and understanding how different harvests and sourcing regions can influence their final spirit.
Climate change and geopolitical factors will continue to disrupt supply chains. Probably increasingly so. Being proactive in sourcing decisions will be key to avoiding surprises and maintaining production standards.
The best-performing brands will be those that plan ahead, invest in storage solutions, and work closely with partners who understand their specific needs. Simple but significant actions will make all the difference. And not just in ensuring quality today either, but in future-proofing production for the years ahead.
