Taplin & Mageean – Premium London Dry Gin

At Taplin & Mageean, we are premium craft gin distillers based in the Yorkshire Dales. We make London Dry Gin in the traditional way, and as such we are always emphasising what makes our gins different, and we would say better than a lot of alternatives on the market.

Unbeknown to many, the hallmark of quality gins is in the name. If you see London Dry Gin on the bottle, you are looking at a gin that is made “properly”, namely, all the flavour in the gin is imparted in the distillation process. Nothing but water is added post-distillation to reduce the ABV to the correct level.

If it doesn’t say London Dry Gin, it is because post-distillation flavours have been added.

For craft gin makers, gin is not just a drink it is a process. The base of gin is essentially vodka. Gin, however, is and always has been a juniper drink, and it is when juniper is added to the base alcohol that you are now making proper gin.

And here comes the skill. From the juniper base, we layer botanicals to create a taste journey for you. Nothing too dominant, but subtle and beguiling tastes that work together with the juniper base to provide you with the perfect drinking sensation. It is an artform honed over many years, and many trials and errors go into each creation.

Comparing our Gin to Non-London Dry Gins

And so when people compare us with non-London Dry Gins we feel the need to respond. You see, flavoured gins are not actually gins at all. They are vodkas. Essentially a flavoured syrup is added to base alcohol to impart a punch of a specific taste — orange, rhubarb, raspberry, tea, liquorice, you name it, there is a flavoured gin for every day of the year.

Of course, such gins have their place, and some are actually really nice, but they should not be compared to craft gins.

It is only when tasting a craft London Dry Gin that you are experiencing a gin based on centuries-old tradition, and it is only when tasting such gins that you get to experience the results of the skill of the distiller, and experience the taste journey that he or she has spent a considerable amount of time creating for your enjoyment.