Bitcoin Proves Just the Tonic for London Gin Distillery

Bitcoin holders can now splash their digital currency on various tipples at The London Distillery Company in Battersea.

AccessTimeIconMar 13, 2014 at 6:03 p.m. UTC
Updated Sep 3, 2021 at 10:44 a.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

UK Bitcoin holders can now spend their digital currency on a bottle of Dodd’s Gin or a 109 Cask, both distilled by The London Distillery Company (TLDC).

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • TLDC joins a growing list of merchants in London that are now accepting bitcoin. The distillery only opened their digital doors to cryptocurrencies this Monday and have since been surprised by the response from the community.

    Chief Executive Darren Rook did not expect such immediate feedback:

    "I've been amazed by the number of people who actually tried to do transactions through the website. It's been pretty incredible actually. I don't think I realised how many people have bitcoin and are looking for services outside of trading."

    Located at the south end of Battersea Bridge, TLDC can be found in an old Victoria dairy. Neighbouring vendors and businesses include an art collective, a boxing gym and a bar.

    Rook says that once his business has ironed out all the technicalities with accepting bitcoin, he will bring up the idea to others as well.

    "We are looking at our neighbours to say 'We can accept bitcoin; maybe you should look at it too because we'll have people coming through.' Our plan is to iron out the issues that we'll potentially have and then go to everyone and say this is the opportunity."

    Currently, BitPay has only approved TLDC for transactions under £55 ($100) per day, but they are hoping to raise that limit by the end of the next week. In the meantime, some customers who tried to order pricier items were met with disappointment.

    "We saw someone from America trying to do a cask purchase worth £1,000, but because of the authorisation limits we have in place at the moment it couldn't go through," says Rook. But, he admits that he is excited to see a new clientele who want to use their bitcoin.

    Rook also revealed that TLDC is also considering installing a Bitcoin ATM on site, similar to the machine over the river in the Old Shoreditch Station Cafe. Cheers to that, Londoners.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.