A bottle of craft English vermouth like ours costs around £27, while a supermarket vermouth can be £8 to £12. That is a real difference, and it is fair to ask what you are paying for. The honest answer: they are not quite the same product. One is made at industrial scale to a price, the other is made in small batches with whole botanicals and time. Here is exactly where the money goes.
It is made in small batches, not by the tanker
Mass-market vermouth is produced in enormous volumes, which spreads every cost thinly and pushes the price down. That is genuinely clever industrial work and it is why a litre can cost less than a couple of coffees. Craft vermouth is the opposite: we make ours in small batches in South London, which costs more per bottle at every single step. You are paying for the scale you are not getting, and that scale is most of the price gap.
It is flavoured with real botanicals, not shortcuts
At the largest scale, flavour often comes from concentrates and standardised extracts, because they are consistent and cheap. Craft vermouth uses whole botanicals, individually sourced and macerated; our Estate is made with thirty-one of them. They cost more and behave less predictably. That is the trade: more expense and more care, in exchange for a flavour with more depth and a sense of place.
It takes time
This is the part people find most surprising. A bottle of ours can take up to three months to produce, because maceration and resting are not steps you can rush without losing the flavour. Time is a real cost. A faster process makes a cheaper bottle; a slower one makes a better-tasting one.
It uses a proper wine base, and carries more duty
Vermouth is fortified wine, so two things follow. First, the quality of the base wine matters: ours is made with English Pinot Noir, not the cheapest bulk wine, and a better base costs more. Second, because it is fortified it carries more alcohol duty than an ordinary bottle of wine, which adds to the shelf price before anything else. Neither of those is a markup; they are the cost of the category.
What you actually get for it
For the extra money, you get a vermouth that is good enough to drink on its own over ice, not just to hide inside a cocktail. You get a fresher, more characterful drink, the provenance of knowing who made it and where, and you support a small producer rather than a multinational. For a bottle that lasts many drinks and sits at the heart of every Negroni, Martini and spritz you make, it is a small premium per glass.
When the supermarket bottle is the right call
We will say this plainly, because pretending otherwise would be silly: sometimes the cheaper bottle is the sensible choice. If you are cooking with vermouth, making a big batch of punch for a party, or simply trying the category for the first time before committing, a supermarket bottle does the job and there is no shame in it. Craft vermouth earns its place when you are drinking it for its own sake, when the vermouth is the point rather than a supporting ingredient.
That is the real test. If the vermouth is doing the talking, the craft bottle is worth it. If it is just along for the ride, save your money. If you want to taste the difference for yourself, our guide to the difference between English and Italian vermouth is a good place to start.
Frequently asked questions
Why is craft vermouth so expensive?
It is made in small batches with whole botanicals and a proper wine base, it can take up to three months to produce, and as a fortified wine it carries more alcohol duty than ordinary wine. The cost reflects scale, ingredients and time, not a markup.
Is expensive vermouth worth it?
It is worth it when you are drinking vermouth for its own sake, over ice or in a cocktail where you can taste it. It is less worth it for cooking or large batches, where a supermarket bottle is fine.
How long does a bottle of vermouth last?
A long time as a purchase, since one bottle makes many drinks, but a short time once opened. Vermouth is wine-based and oxidises, so keep it in the fridge after opening and use it within a month or two.
Is craft vermouth better than supermarket vermouth?
It is different and, for sipping, usually better tasting, because of the whole botanicals and slower production. For cooking or high-volume mixing, the difference matters far less.
What makes English vermouth different?
English vermouth is made in Britain with British garden botanicals, which gives a fresher, more herbal character than the richer Italian style. It is a relatively new category led by a small number of makers.
Asterley Bros is a London maker of English vermouth, amaro and aperitivo, founded by brothers Rob and Jim Berry in 2014. We make our vermouth in small batches in South London, where a single bottle can take up to three months to produce.