Marylebone Gin, 70 cl

Product Information

Johnny works with Isabella, his stunning 50 litre still. Named after Isabella Greenall, the starting point of the Neill adventures in gin, and Johnny’s own daughter, recently she’s found a new home: 108 Bar at the Marylebone Hotel, right in centre of the world’s greatest metropolis. She’ll stay there for the foreseeable future, churning out lovely batches of beautiful gin as patrons sit and drink alongside her. 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. Drinks are on the pricier side of things, though we’re still dreaming about the (uber) spicy Margarita we downed weeks ago. So, we think they’re worth it.

Palate: Rolled oats, hazelnut spread, floral honey and chocolate bourbon biscuits initially with grassy malt, lime peel and drying spice. He says, “The pleasure gardens gave me the inspiration to explore botanicals that are a little more floral in their outlook – chamomile, lemon balm and lime flower, with a hint of grapefruit to deliver a lovely, fresh, citrus-y zing.” 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… Built in what used to be the outskirts of London – Chelsea, Marylebone and Vauxhall, to name just a few – the pleasure gardens of the 18th and 19th centuries were so much more than picnic spots.

And then I’ve got a little limited edition I’m doing for the hotel as well. So 108 Bar and Brasserie is part of the Marylebone Hotel where the still is housed, and it’s part of an Irish hotel group called Doyle Collection. So we’ve got an extra Irish botanical going into a new recipe for them, and just 108 bottles will be created. The hotel has an off-licence and the bottles will be sold behind the bar. We hope it will be the first of many batches, but we shall see how we go.

Other botanicals include angelica root and liquorice root, as well as the warming finish of anise and hot cloves.But while his family’s long history of distilling and a swish central London location – not to mention a daily audience for his distilling efforts – would put an unbearable amount of pressure on some, Johnny Neill is more than ready for the challenge. In fact, he’s thrilled to be on this amazing adventure.

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. The finished liquid is then bottled in a stunning creation of vibrant cobalt blue, inspired by fine Bristol glassware from the 18th century. Expect plenty of mezcal, tequila, and small plates to keep you going throughout the evening. Cool Bars in Marylebone: Practical TipsWe're delighted to announce that we have a brand new Club Gin, and what could be a better gift in time for Christmas?