UK | Waitrose has launched Leckford Single Estate Gin and Leckford Single Estate Vodka, the first spirits made from crops grown on a UK supermarket’s own farm.
Both spirits are distilled from grain, but it is unusual to know which farm, let alone which field or day it was harvested. These came from a single field at Waitrose Farm in Leckford, Hampshire, harvested on the 10th of July, and reached Waitrose shelves just over three months later, in time for Christmas.
The wheat was grown using regenerative practices that aim to restore soil health, conserve water, and support biodiversity. For the spirits, the field grew oilseed rape the year before, was never left bare between harvests, and the seed was sown into narrow strips rather than ploughing the whole field.
Both spirits carry Waitrose’s Championing Regenerative Farming logo, which also appears on Waitrose’s own-label milk and shows products from farms using these practices.
It is the first time the estate has grown a crop specifically for spirits. Leckford wheat has gone into Leckford Homebaking flour since 2003 and Leckford bread since 2024, but this year the Leckford team grew three new varieties as a bespoke spirit grain, chosen with Ramsbury, the Wiltshire estate distillery that made the gin and vodka.
Leckford is where Waitrose has farmed regeneratively since 2020. It works closely with farmers and growers, supporting the Waitrose Farming for Nature programme, which commits all its UK farmers and growers to start using regenerative practices by 2030.
Regenerative farming also depends on farmers being able to sell what they grow. When it launched Farming for Nature in 2024, Waitrose committed to providing a market for regeneratively produced food, and the spirits give Leckford’s wheat a new one.
They've expanded the Leckford range to 17 products, alongside the estate’s bread, flour, oil and honey, for food lovers who want to know exactly where their food comes from.
The spirits are the latest in Leckford's line of firsts. Vines planted there in 2009 made Waitrose the first UK retailer with its own vineyard and the first supermarket to sell its own English sparkling wine. In 2023, it became the first UK retailer to run tractors on renewable natural gas.
In 2024, Leckford’s vineyard and orchards became the first in the UK to gain Regenified certification, an independent standard for regenerative farming.
The wheat is distilled in small batches at Ramsbury, which runs on renewable energy. The gin takes its inspiration from the wild plants that grow across the estate. Its 11 botanicals include juniper, sweet orange, lemon and warming cinnamon. The vodka is distilled four times for a smooth texture with notes of caramel and vanilla.
The harvest yielded 30,000 bottles, now on sale in over 200 Waitrose shops.
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