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: He says, “We’ve tried to develop something balanced and delicate, where the botanicals work in harmony, but also a spirit with a certain robustness.” While Marylebone may fly under the radar for some, these are popular places so book ahead to avoid disappointment.

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: Sugary porridge, creamy vanilla fudge and muddled fresh mint with ripe banana, papaya and a pinch of ginger in support. Other botanicals include angelica root and liquorice root, as well as the warming finish of anise and hot cloves. Thomas Greenall founded Greenalls in 1762, when London’s Marylebone Pleasure Gardens were the place to be seen. Moving on to the 1830s, his son-in-law John Neill joined the family firm to create gin: ever since, the love of the craft has passed through eight generations of the line to Johnny Neill, who carries the family torch onward today at Marylebone Pleasure Gardens Distillery Company in Bond Street.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. 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. In this Georgian era, gin was very much the drink of choice for Londoners – albeit, the spirit was a bit rougher than what we drink today,” he says. “So making a gin really seemed like the natural thing for me to do.”

Johnny wanted to go into the family business, but he knew that he had to do things his own way. He established two successful gin brands – Whitley Neill, under which he makes the Rhubarb and Ginger Gin in July's Gin of the Month box, and JJ Whitley. But he couldn’t shake his connection to Marylebone. Palate: Juniper notes are fresh and floral once again, paired will with lemon balm and earthy lime leaf. A slight touch of fennel.

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