Our Story

Find out how Abingdon Gin grew out of a cramped apartment block in Hong Kong to a bustling distillery in the heart of Oxfordshire. Read our story below.

How did a Canadian and a Brit come together to make gin in Abingdon? This is our story.

Abingdon Gin started as an idea in a cramped Hong Kong apartment where we began dabbling in distilling with the aim of creating a truly sippable gin.

Ben, who was working as an airline pilot at the time, would bring botanicals back from layovers around the world. Experimenting with different recipes and cuts using a tiny copper still.

“We weren’t living right in the centre of Hong Kong. Our village was pretty out of the way, and it was hard to get a decent drink.

“We discovered that we could bring together some really interesting botanicals from around the world and combine them to make some really tasty gins. Admittedly though there were some howlers along the way!

When they moved to Abingdon, they found a thriving town without any craft distillery so decided to take on the challenge.

“Abingdon is a hidden gem. Lovely parks, on the Thames and plenty of pubs! It was definitely moving onwards and upwards with lots of trendy bars coming in which in turn is bringing in a younger crowd.

“We’re grateful to add our gin to the community in Abingdon. It has a rich history and is full of active, sociable people who enjoy a drink in the pub or at home in the garden. We’re happy to contribute to that in our own way.”  

Our Gins

Nearly 100 batches and 7 distilling methods later, we finally settled on our perfect London Dry recipe.

Spring 2020 saw the release of our contemporary styled Lavender & Pine Blossom gin. It was originally released as a limited edition of a few batches. But it has become so well received that we are considering adding it to our core range going forward.

We are also extremely proud to announce that our London Dry gin won 3 bronze awards in the best London Dry gin category at the 2020 IWSC awards, the International Spirits Challenge and the London Spirits Competition.  It was also named as a finalist by The Gin Guide Awards in the Traditional Gin category.