Leeds Gin John Roberts Botanic Request made in Garage Distillery wins the Silver Prize of the Global Gin Masters 2021

John Roberts Botanic Request has only been on the market for a few months, but is already in stock in many bars in Leeds and a second batch is about to go into production.

“We only started in April, but we’re already selling well in Yorkshire and London,” says Ben Peel, who developed the gin with his partner Emelie Nilsson and set up two small stills in their garage in Pudsey.

However, Ben is not new to gin making as he spent five years as a distiller at Sipsmith in London, where he learned his craft and developed ideas. He then moved to Sipsmith to train bar staff and retailers around the world on gin.

“It was a fabulous job,” said Ben, “but after a few years I decided I wanted to go back home.”

During the production of the gin, more resistant plant substances such as juniper are fed into a vacuum system, while a sound extraction method is used for the sensitive ingredients such as lemon tea and orange peel.

The unmistakable name of the brand pays homage to the Rolling Stones album “Their Satanic Majesties Request” and combines the identical middle names of Ben, his father and grandfather.

It turns out to be a winning combination, winning silver in the 2021 Global Gin Masters competition organized by the industry publication The Spirits Business.

“Contests like this one are an opportunity to step foot on the global stage to have your craft and skills as a distiller and liquid innovator recognized, validated and praised,” said Ben. “It’s also a great way to sit shoulder to shoulder with some of the more established and recognized brands.”

He added that the competition will be blindly tasted by some of the industry’s leading and respected palates and judged solely on the gin itself.

The success of the awards is a welcome boost as preparations are made for the production of the second batch.

Looking back on the past few months, Ben said, “It’s pretty exciting to go from an internationally recognized premium brand like Sipsmith as their dedicated innovation distiller to giving up and leaving the hustle and bustle of London to starting our own little unique distillery and liquid Laboratories come back here in a suburban garage home to then appreciate our gin, our spirit and our hard work on a global stage like the Gin Masters. We couldn’t be prouder. “

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