The Worshipful Company of Distillers is one of the Livery Companies

Livery Company

The Livery Companies are 108 trade associations in the City of London, almost all of which are known as the "Worshipful Company of" the relevant trade, craft or profession. The medieval Companies originally developed as guilds and were responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling,...

 of the City of London

City of London

The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...

. The Distillers were incorporated under a Royal Charter

Royal Charter

A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...

 in 1638. They were empowered to regulate and supervise the production of spirits and liquors. Now, however, it does not retain such powers. Instead, it supports the distilling industry by offering distilling scholarships.

The Distillers' Company ranks sixty-ninth in the order of precedence

Order of precedence

An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance of items. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments...

for Livery Companies. Its motto is Drop as Rain, Distil as Dew.
Sir James Vallentin (1814-1870) Sheriff of London and Middlesex, was Master of the Company 1869-1870

James Rose Vallentin, son of Sir James Vallentin, was Master of the Company 1879-1880

External links

• Worshipful Company of Distillers Website