WhataHoot doesn't simply have a Norfolk address. Its spirits are actually distilled, tasted and bottled in King's Lynn by the family team behind the business.
Every bottle starts with distilled Norfolk water, while ingredients used across the range include Norfolk samphire and lavender alongside orange, raspberry, pink peppercorn, sloe and numerous other botanicals.
The Signature Dry Gin is perhaps the clearest expression of its Norfolk roots, bringing together Norfolk samphire and lavender, but WhataHoot isn't afraid to move beyond the traditional London Dry formula.
Across its range you'll find classic dry gin, fruit-led expressions, Navy Strength Gin, Sloe Gin, vodka and rum – all produced from the same independent King's Lynn distillery.
It's a Norfolk drinks producer in the most literal sense: developed here, distilled here and bottled here.
From a Norfolk kitchen table to a King's Lynn distillery
WhataHoot was founded in 2017 by husband-and-wife Jason and Nicky Crown, with the idea beginning around their kitchen table.
The first WhataHoot spirits followed in 2018 and the business subsequently moved into its current King's Lynn home in 2020.
That home is rather more interesting than the average industrial unit.
The WhataHoot Distillery occupies a sympathetically restored 16th-century warehouse just off King Street in historic King's Lynn, complete with original beams and exposed brickwork.
The working still and bottling operation sit at the heart of the building, which is also home to WhataHoot's Pantry, bar and upstairs Gin School & Spirit Lounge.
So this isn't simply the company's registered address or somewhere bottles are dispatched from. It's where the spirits are actually made.
Why is it called WhataHoot?
The name WhataHoot was inspired by the barn owls heard calling across the Norfolk countryside.
Those owls provided both the name and the distinctive personality that has remained part of the business as it has grown from a kitchen-table idea into an established Norfolk distillery.
It's another small detail that makes WhataHoot unmistakably connected to the county it calls home.
Norfolk ingredients meet a willingness to experiment
One of the things we particularly like about WhataHoot is that Norfolk provenance doesn't restrict the range – it provides its starting point.
Its Signature Dry Gin uses Norfolk samphire and lavender, together with distilled Norfolk water.
From there, the distillery explores considerably more.
Across the WhataHoot collection you'll encounter ingredients and flavours including orange, raspberry, pink peppercorn, strawberry, passion fruit and sloe, alongside different styles of gin, rum and vodka.
That willingness to experiment is also reflected in the WhataHoot Gin School, where more than 30 botanicals are available for visitors creating their own gin.
Where can I buy WhataHoot spirits?
You can buy WhataHoot gin, rum and spirits from The Norfolk Deli in Hunstanton, where we stock the WhataHoot range as part of our wider collection of Norfolk-made drinks.
You can also order WhataHoot spirits here through our online shop for UK delivery.
WhataHoot has its own distillery shop in King's Lynn, but if you're on the North Norfolk coast, visiting Hunstanton or would simply prefer to order from an independent Norfolk retailer alongside other Norfolk food and drink, you'll find our WhataHoot selection above.
