Couple create tasty gins at new Abingdon distillery

The distillery, the first of its kind in Abingdon, will initially offer a London dry, soon to be followed by a seasonal ‘summer’ gin, making use of 'fine local ingredients'.

The company says its production process uses inventive techniques to extract the most flavour from the botanicals possible and distillation is carried out in small batches at drip-speed to ensure the 'highest quality cuts and a polished final product'.

Co-founder Ben Blackledge said: ​“We’re really excited to launch the first distillery in Abingdon – it’s the product of years dabbling in distilling to create some tasty gins.”

Mr Blackledge, a former airline pilot, said its tagline, Spirits of Precision, refers to its precise and meticulous approach to distillation.

The logo, meanwhile, plays on the chemical symbol for ethanol – a nod to the area’s links with science and research.

Pre-orders for the first batch are now available, to be dispatched just before the online business is open.

Abingdon Gin started as an idea in a cramped Hong Kong apartment where Mr Blackledge and his partner, Janice Hewitt, began dabbling in distilling with the aim of creating a 'truly sippable gin'.

Mr Blackledge would bring botanicals back from layovers around the world, experimenting with recipes and cuts using a tiny copper still.

When they moved back to Abingdon, they found a town without a craft distillery and decided to take on the spirited challenge themselves.

Nearly 100 batches, seven methods and one year later, Abingdon Gin is open for business.

Mr Blackledge added: “Our aim is to put Abingdon on the gin map with the highest quality gin hand-crafted in small batches.

“Our classic London dry makes for a perfect base in gin cocktails or in a G&T garnished with a slice of grapefruit.

We have several other gins in the pipeline and hope to bring a different set of flavours out each season to work with the finest botanicals available.

“We want to keep our focus very local and on providing the best gins for Abingdon – we’re not trying to compete at a national level.

“Our future products will revolve around customer feedback, so our community will have a really important role to play in co-creating our gins.”

The town has been acquiring a taste for gin - earlier this year The Old Chemist gin bar opened on the site of the former Smith’s chemists in High Street.

Find out more about the company and place orders at abingdongin.com