Harley House Distillery

Craft gin and rum distillery in Seaford, East Sussex

Harley House Distillery is a small-batch distillery based in Seaford, in the English county of East Sussex. The company crafts gins and rums by hand and presents its range as the home of Sussex spirits. All production takes place at its Seaford distillery, which according to its own website sits at the edge of the South Downs, next to the Seven Sisters Cliffs at Cuckmere Haven.

The company sells its products online with fast delivery across the UK and also invites visitors to its premises. Its range is organised into several product lines, along with gift items and a selection of miniatures.

Product ranges

The Signature Range

The Signature line includes the 'Pure Sussex Gin', described by the company as IWSC award-winning and made entirely in Sussex. The website presents it as a fantastically smooth gin. Other hand-crafted spirits from the house are also offered within this range.

Prohibition Rum Range

The Prohibition rum range includes the 'Prohibition Smugglers Cut Rum', an English rum that the company presents as a Great Taste 1-Star and IWSC award winner. The website itself reproduces tasting notes describing it as a lightly golden rum with a surprisingly smooth mouthfeel and a bright and open flavour profile, well balanced, with a delicate fruitiness, a strong and warm finish and a bright fruity top note.

The declared inspiration for this rum is the historic smuggling routes of the South Downs, in tribute to the smugglers who would siphon off some of the finest spirits as payment. The company states that it makes the rum from scratch in Seaford, which allows it to officially classify it as a genuine English rum. According to its description of the process, it uses only the finest imported molasses and manages every other step in-house, and finally adjusts the alcohol strength with exceptionally pure, chalk-filtered water drawn from a local South Downs aquifer.

The Curiosity Series

The Curiosity series brings together spirits flavoured with botanicals. Within it, the 'Hedgerow Gin' stands out, presented as award-winning and made with wild-foraged flavours from the Sussex countryside.

Miniatures and gifts

The range includes the 'Marvellous Miniatures' line, as well as gift options: corporate gifting, e-gift vouchers and a selection of cocktails under the Harley House Life name. The company also has a subscription club, the Harley House Club, and a Trade Accounts option.

Production method

The distillery emphasises that it produces its gin in its entirety, from initial fermentation to final distillation. To do this, it makes its own neutral alcohol using locally sourced water from a South Downs aquifer. The company notes that this process is unusual nowadays because it is time-consuming, but it allows it to guarantee the purity and quality of the water used in every bottle.

Adam Cowley, identified as creative distiller, states on the website that making local spirits that are so versatile and with so much care and attention is something he really prides himself on.

Awards and reviews

The company highlights several awards in its communications: the IWSC for the 'Pure Sussex Gin', a Great Taste star and an IWSC award for the 'Prohibition Smugglers Cut Rum', and an award for the 'Hedgerow Gin'. The website also includes a Google review in which a customer praises the quality of the Pure Sussex gin and the Curiosity series, and mentions having also tried the house rum with satisfaction.

Sales and distribution

The products can be purchased through the distillery's online shop, with fast delivery across the UK. The company also offers the possibility of visiting its premises in Seaford.

Location and contact

79 Sutton Road, Seaford, East Sussex, BN25 4QH, England · Email: info@harleyhousedistillery.co.uk