Tour of the Gin Distillery – Tue 4 Nov 2025

On Tuesday 4 November, a group from the Company gathered at Whitley Neill Distillery in St Bride’s Lane to discover more about the only Gin Distillery within the City Of London.

From its own origins in 2005 we went back in time and learnt about the Gin Craze of the 1700s.

How William of Orange had introduced Genever and how it was used by the Dutch, and then English troops fighting in the 30 years’ war to give them “Dutch Courage”.

Gin, unlike the title nurse, is a protected name and we discovered more. After tasting 4 of the gins from the impressive array available we knew about the botanicals used in creating gin from vodka. Juniper is essential and often liquorice root and coriander. The variety and amounts all come down to the master distiller.  Gin is made here, and we were able to visit the still room and meet the 4 “girls” called Elizabeth, after the late Queen, Clarissa and Eddie and Patsy.

The Gin Act of 1751 was the government’s attempt to stop the drunken behaviour that gave gin such a bad name and was so interestingly illustrated by William Hogarth. As a result, gin could only be produced in 2000-gallon stills, which was only repealed in the late 1990s due to the lobbying of the team behind Sipsmiths. This opened the gates for the advent of the Craft Distiller. And here we were, enjoying the fruits of their labours.

The Master reminded us of a quote attributed to Florence Nightingale when it was suggested that Queen Victoria send the troops in the Crimea Eau de Parfum, she apparently said “A little gin would be more popular”. Maybe with the troops or did Florence and the nurses know more about the antiseptic properties of alcohol!

A very convivial afternoon had been enjoyed and we could not have been more grateful to the tolerant guide Wes and the hospitality of the whole team.