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. 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. Wooden furniture, deep red walls, and plenty of portraits – it’s safe to say that Seymour’s Parlour has a lot of aesthetic appeal. True to its name, the quirky establishment is foliage-filled and sits nestled (pun intended) atop the Treehouse hotel. The JJ Whitley range is more about my great grandfather, who was the son of a vicar, so he used to spend a lot of time in vicarage gardens around Cheshire and Lancashire, so we were looking for hedgerow and garden flavours.

While the majority of the gardens were well-lit with glittering lamps and laughter – novelist Tobias Smith wrote that the illuminations and magic lanterns “almost made me feel I was in some enchanted castle or fairy palace” – so-called ‘dark walks’, where paths snaked off into shadow, were prime hunting ground for predators of all kinds.Palate: The palate brings some floral and perfumed qualities with angelica, heather and Parma Violets with piney juniper and orange peel in support. 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. 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. As the founder of Whitley Neill Gin, Marylebone Gin, Berkshire Botanical Gin and Gelston Irish whiskey, it’s fair to say that Johnny Neill knows a thing or two about booze. We managed to grab five minutes with him and here’s what he said: So what did I think of my flirtation with a miniature of Mary Le Bone? A pleasing aroma of chamomile, lemon balm and lime; but with a lingering spicy finish of coriander and cloves balancing sweet orange peel. Cassia bark provides the warmth, which would make this a lovely treat on a cold winter’s day.

The Marylebone Pleasure Gardens that inspired Johnny Neill’s amazing Gin of the Month started out as a bandstand and two bowling greens down the side of the local pub. Entry was free, even when several acres from a neighbouring estate were bolted on.

The bar has made a name for itself thanks to its multi-sensory creations where the skilled mixologists use aromas, fogs, airs, and foams to bring their unique concoctions to life.

We're delighted to announce that we have a brand new Club Gin, and what could be a better gift in time for Christmas? Halewood subsidiary The Pleasure GardensDistillingCompany created the new Centenary Edition gin with lemon balm and sweet orange. The bottle design features the RAF Clubs logo. 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. You could say I grew up on gin,” laughs Johnny. “I’m descended from Thomas Greenall, who founded a brewery in 1762. Our family started distilling not long after, and my father, his uncle and my great grandfather all worked for the company. There’s a fair bit of history there.”I was inspired by the diversity and uniqueness of Marylebone,” he says. “The area really does feel like a village. The people and business are proud of where they live, and there’s a strong culture of helping each other. We wanted to be a firm part of the local community.” JN: It’s been a hell of a ride from early days when it was very hard to sell a premium gin to a bar and restaurant. It took a lot of time and effort. We were thinking around 2012-14 that things were going to slow down, but actually, it’s accelerated. It may slow down and might become more difficult in the on-trade over the next 18 months for operators to have such a large range of gin, but we’ll see how we go. But consumers are still on board and still experimenting. As long as we’re still producing really good liquids with interesting stories behind them and reasons for them then I don’t see it letting up. There are a number of new distilleries and I suppose we all think ‘gosh, how are they going to get it to market, but if there’s always a story behind the distillery and they’re producing good gin then why not? Everyone’s been very supportive of each other, everyone talks to each other in the industry, generally, every producer is happy to help. Whilst there’s competition, it’s healthy competition, there’s a lot of collaboration. Johnny, you’re family is pretty much steeped in gin – so where does all this inspiration come from? His latest creation, is Marylebone Gin– a deliciously floral and citrus led gin, made in small batches to a pretty healthy 50.2%.

Overall: Tastes as good as it looks and makes a smashing G&T, Marylebone London Dry Gin is a well balanced and elegant expression. Johnny Neill, founder of the Marylebone Gin brand and the man behind Whitley Neill Gin, said: Ginhas always been well enjoyed at the RAF Club, so it seemed only right that we should recognise this celebratory year with a commemorative spirit. Choose from over 30 wines and pair your grape with modern European delicacies prepared by a Michelin-starred chef. With a spacious private dining room, it’s also the perfect place for an event, celebration, or large get-togethers. The Nest

MoM: You’ve seen gin go through a boom since you started out. Can the category maintain its momentum? Marylebone is very much a London Dry Gin, and that means it’s distilled using traditional methods in a tiny pot still,” Johnny says. The botanicals are left to steep in wheat grain spirit overnight, and then carefully distilled, with only the best liquid – the ‘heart cut’ – diluted to a whopping 50.2% ABV. It’s a strength that echoes those early gins enjoyed in the pleasure gardens, though Johnny’s creation is much easier on the palate. 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… Nose: Very spicy and rich with juniper upfront and coriander seed, angelica root and lemon sherbet in support. Gathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.