The story of Beefeater Gin dates back to 1863, when James Burrough, a pharmacist by trade, purchased the Chelsea Distillery for £400 and began producing a range of liqueurs, fruit gins and punches. In 1876 Burrough began producing a number of different gins, among them Beefeater, which became an instant hit and the distillery's flagship brand. The distillery would relocate twice over the next hundred years in order to increase capacity to meet demand to the point where by 1963 Beefeater accounted for 75% of all US gin imports.
Appointed Master Distiller in 1995, Desmond Payne is passionately involved in every aspect of the production process from hand-selecting the juniper berries and botanicals to discussing the latest cocktails with a new generation of bartenders. Having taken care of Burrough's secret Beefeater London Dry Gin recipe for many years, Desmond has created his very own masterpiece in 2008 with Beefeater 24. |
