Distilled Gins: Meet Jacob Wilson From The Henley Distillery

The Henley Distillery is one of the most exciting distilleries in the UK (it is headed up by Jacob Wilson – one of the youngest Master Distillers in Britain).

Hand-crafted gins – launched in 2021.

Based in a restored threshing barn just outside of Henley-on-Thames, The Henley Distillery produces small-batch hand-crafted gins in 3 editions: Classic Dry (a contemporary twist on a London Dry style), a fruity Rhubarb & Orange (with a delicate pink hue), and an Oriental Spiced gin (with warming flavours of cubeb, long pepper, and ginger).

The distillery was established by Jacob Wilson, who is one of the youngest Master Distillers in the country.

His experience includes being the Head Distiller at Masons Yorkshire Gin (and the Spirit of Masham), and the Master Distiller at Hensol Castle Distillery.

Jacob puts his experience, expertise and techniques into practice at The Henley Distillery – with his own range of gins, and an emphasis towards using only the finest ingredients and distilling processes. Also, THD is a family affair. Jacob’s father, Alan, assists with design and sales, and his mother, Terry, helps with distilling and production.

This May, the award-winning distillery will launch a brand new Temple Island Rum. This small-batch, artisan rum – will be available in 50cl and 20cl, and each bottle will be hand-filled, hand-labelled, and sealed with pride.

“I am thrilled with all three of our Temple Island Rums. New product and recipe development is the best part of my job as a Master Distiller, and I relish having the creative freedom to push boundaries, whilst sticking to my belief in the quality of small batch production,” said Jacob.

“Having been born and bred in Henley on Thames, Temple Island is an affectionate nod to my hometown. It is the closest island to the distillery, and its a prominent sight at the start of the Henley Royal Regatta course, with rowing being a favourite pastime of mine,” said Jacob.

The Henley Distillery produces gins that are distilled using two handmade 300 litres copper alembic stills.

Named ‘Tony’ and ‘Mac’ after Jacob’s grandfathers, the two stills are heated over open flames. Finely controlled by Jacob (and by slowing the distillation down to last twelve hours), the spirit produced – is smoother and cleaner than those made by the more modern column stills.

Also, the gins aren’t chill-filtered, meaning that the delicate aromas and oils from the botanicals are retained – creating a more distinctive and well-rounded flavour. The Henley Distillery won the Best London Dry Gin Award in England at the World Gin Awards 2022, and the New Distillery of the Year Award (worldwide) at The Gin Guide Awards 2022.

Find out more here: https://thehenleydistillery.co.uk