Desmond Payne MBE - Beefeater Master Distiller, 50 Years Making Gin, How To Make Gin, Gin Category

Desmond Payne MBE is Master Distiller Emeritus of Beefeater, one of the world's best loved and most respected gin brands. He is the longest serving gin master distiller in the world, having also spent a 20 year stint at Plymouth Gin. And he is perhaps the most respected gin distiller alive today. I sat down with him in his office at the Beefeater Distillery in London to discuss the history of the brand, the challenges that gin distillers face, the tension between innovation and tradition, what Desmond thinks about the current state and future prospects of the gin category, and much more. 00:00 Origin stories - First experiences with gin, Wine, Plymouth Gin 04:40 Plymouth Gin vs Beefeater - Differences, Recipes, Balancing Botanicals 08:25 Consistency, Sourcing & Sampling Juniper, Blending Batches 13:05 Creating a Versatile Gin - Developing Recipes, The Role of the Bartender, Beefeater 24, Sensory Blindness 23:46 The Life of James Borough and the Origins of Evolution of Beefeater 30:13 Beefeater Crown Jewel & Historical Recipes 34:07 Flavoured Gins - Legitimacy, Development, Use Cases, Reputation 38:02 The Changing Nature of the gin category - Future Predictions 42:46 Memorable Moments - Working with Bartenders: Alessandro Palazzi, Agostino Perrone 47:45 Retirement & Succession 50:22 The Beefeater Recipe This episode is sponsored by Fever-Tree