🥃 Beefeater 24
A Beefeater gin with 12 botanicals, including Japanese sencha and Chinese green tea, grapefruit and Seville orange; 45% ABV (90 proof).
Beefeater 24 is the Beefeater gin in which tea is the key distinctive botanical. Master distiller Desmond Payne created it as a more modern and aromatic expression beside the classic line. Its strength is 45% ABV (90 proof), and Difford's Guide describes it as a classic London dry style without ageing.
The recipe has 12 botanicals: grapefruit, Japanese sencha and Chinese green tea are added to the Beefeater base. The name comes from the 24 hours the botanicals steep in spirit before distillation. The distillation is done in a pot still; according to Difford's Guide, the distiller makes an unusually early cut of the final fraction to limit tea tannins, and about a third of each run goes to waste. The owner is Pernod Ricard. According to the same source, it was the Crown Jewel recipe that prompted Desmond Payne to add the tea botanicals to 24.
Why this matters to you. Beefeater 24 is softer than the classic gin because of the tea and grapefruit, but it is five percentage points stronger than the core line. Compare it with Beefeater London Dry Gin: the difference lies not only in the botanicals but also in strength. According to the WHO, there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | a line of the Beefeater brand; recipe by Desmond Payne; the release year varies across sources |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Reg. (EU) 2019/787, Annex I (gin, min. 37.5% ABV) |
| Raw material | 12 botanicals, including grapefruit, Japanese sencha, Chinese green tea and Seville orange |
| Distillation method | 24-hour steeping, pot distillation with an early cut of the tails fraction |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 45% ABV (90 proof) |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Beefeater 24 → affects → 🍷 Alcohol and health ← affects ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Beefeater, 🍸 Gin, 🍸 London gin
- Related to
- 🌍 Western Europe
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Bombay Sapphire, 🥃 Bombay Sapphire Gin, 🥃 Beefeater Crown Jewel, 🥃 Beefeater Crown Jewel, 🥃 Beefeater Pink, 🥃 Beefeater Pink
Frequently asked questions
Does the 24 in Beefeater 24 mean 24 hours?
Yes: according to Difford's Guide, the name comes from the 24 hours the botanicals steep in spirit before distillation.
Which teas are in Beefeater 24 gin?
Japanese sencha and Chinese green tea, alongside grapefruit and the rest of the core recipe's botanicals.
What is the ABV and proof of Beefeater 24?
45% ABV, which is 90 proof, according to Difford's Guide.
How does Beefeater 24 differ from Beefeater London Dry?
It has 12 botanicals instead of nine, with tea and grapefruit added, and is 45% ABV against the core line's 40%.
Is Beefeater 24 a London dry gin?
Difford's Guide describes it as a classic London dry style without ageing. As gin it falls under the EU minimum of 37.5% ABV, Regulation (EU) 2019/787.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🌍 Western Europe — France, the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg: a mild, moist climate, pastures and hundreds of cheeses such as Roquefort, Camembert, Gouda and Cheddar.
- 🥃 Bombay Sapphire Gin — The core gin of the Bombay Sapphire brand: ten botanicals, vapour infusion; 40% or 47% ABV (94 proof in the US) depending on the market.
- 🥃 Bombay Sapphire — English gin of Bacardi Limited: the spirit picks up the aroma of ten botanicals as vapour during distillation; made at Laverstoke Mill (Hampshire) since 2014. 47% ABV (94 proof) on the US page.
Similar
🥃 Beefeater London Dry Gin · 🥃 Beefeater Crown Jewel · 🥃 Beefeater Pink · 🥃 Bombay Dry Gin · 🥃 Bombay Sapphire East · 🥃 Bombay Bramble
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Difford's Guide: Beefeater 24 London Dry Gin (45 % ABV; 12 botanicals incl. Japanese Sencha and Chinese green tea, grapefruit; 24-hour steeping; Pernod Ricard)
- Difford's Guide: Beefeater production (botanicals, 24-hour steeping, pot still; Kennington distillery; 24 and Crown Jewel strengths)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019), Annex I: gin, distilled gin, London gin (min. 37,5 % ABV)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)