Marylebone Gin, 70 cl

Product Information

MoM: You’re one of the leading producers of flavoured gin. Why was this a category that interested you? I freely admit to being a geek. Working in science it kind of goes with the territory – sure my physics is absolutely rubbish (no really), but actually my chemistry is OK, and my biology is pretty good. When it comes to gin, all of the above can come in handy if you really want to get in depth. Understanding not only how it’s made, but it’s action on the body (taking you from yum! to heyyyy drunky!), and the physiology and psychology of how we taste. Johnny, you’re family is pretty much steeped in gin – so where does all this inspiration come from?

While Marylebone may fly under the radar for some, these are popular places so book ahead to avoid disappointment. With the Berkshire brand, I had a desire to create a local brand that would make gin, but that could evolve to make spirits like vodka and rum. I live in West Berkshire now near the Yattendon Estate, a 9,000-acre estate that’s actually one of the largest Christmas tree growers in the U.K, which was great because I was keen to work with new and local flavours. So for the first batch we did, I was allowed to go out on the estate and chop down some Christmas trees and we used Norway Spruce in the recipe! It’s a dry gin but you’ll get a little bit of extra pine in there on the finish and I think it’s a nice balanced gin. We make it right now in a pot still called Harry, who resides in the wonderful The Royal Oak Pub & Hotel right in the heart of Yattendon. But I’ve got a lease on a bigger premises on the Yattendon Estate at the moment and we’re planning to put a bigger pot still in place so we can really start developing the brand and the range. I’m always trying to work on a couple of new flavours and once we have the larger pot still we can play with some rum and do some ageing and stuff like that.

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As Johnny Neill, the man behind Marylebone Gin, explains: “What I love about the idea of these gardens is the thought of Georgian refinement, with the likes of Handel hosting concerts there, side-by-side with a bit of notoriety, gambling and card sharping.”

I’ve been trying to keep it quiet until I got the still in place, which is why we can now talk about it! The still is in place at the hotel – it’s sitting in the bar. We’re building a glass screen around it, but it will be on show all the time, so people can come down and look at it. Overall: Tastes as good as it looks and makes a smashing G&T, Marylebone London Dry Gin is a well balanced and elegant expression. Other botanicals include angelica root and liquorice root, as well as the warming finish of anise and hot cloves. Marylebone is accessible via public transport with the Marylebone Station, Edgware Road, Baker Street, Great Portland Street, and Bond Street serving as close local stations. In the end, Johnny settled on Pleasure Garden Distilling Company as a name for his venture, and 13 elegant botanicals to go into his flagship gin. These combine to form the refined liquid in the beautiful blue bottle that you unwrapped in this month’s Gin of the Month box. And what a liquid it is.His latest creation, is Marylebone Gin– a deliciously floral and citrus led gin, made in small batches to a pretty healthy 50.2%. I get geeky about everything. But it does means I can also be a bit of a fan girl. I take inspiration from all sorts of areas, not just gin related. Getting a DM from a favourite brewer to ask my opinion is always going to make me have a moment. And when the first Master Distiller added me as a friend on Facebook…