Beefeater Gin

After deciding on visiting Beefeater Gin Distillery simply because it was on my London Pass, I can say I was super impressed with the tour (and the gin!) They have a beautiful museum on the history of gin itself, as well as their own origins, and then the distillery tour was fun and informative.

Botanicals in Beefeater London Dry gin - juniper, lemon peel, orange peel, coriander seed, angelica root and seed, almonds, liquorice root, orris root - are steeped with the alcohol for 24 hours before beginning distillation.

When tasting gin the primary scent must be of the juniper berries, or it cannot be considered gin. During distillation the botanicals (plants stepped in the alcohol) distill at different rates and so the 'head' and 'tail' must be discarded. The distillers job is to check the product as it comes through to know when it is ready, and switch over to storage instead of waste. This is done by smell only, as at this stage the gin is 97% alcohol.

Keith checks the stage of distillation

Far right: James Burroughs original still is in use to make limited run gins

Master Distiller Desmond Payne recommends London Dry Gin to be garnished with lemon or orange as these are present in its botanicals - NOT lime