The Wensleydale Distillery hand distils an award-winning range of gin, rum, vodka and liqueurs at Leyburn Station in the Yorkshire Dales, using traditional copper stills and local Dales ingredients.
Location: Leyburn, Yorkshire
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Our Story
The Wensleydale Distillery was founded in 2018 by Chris Taplin, owner of the well known Stone House Hotel in Hawes, Wensleydale. Having spent years pouring gins from all over the country for his hotel guests, Chris couldn't help noticing that nobody was making a gin in the Yorkshire Dales itself, despite the area having everything a distiller could want right on its doorstep.
To turn the idea into a gin worth drinking, Chris brought in an experienced young distiller who had previously worked as head distiller for fellow Yorkshire gin producer Masons. Together they worked through dozens of trial recipes before settling on a range of four ultra-premium gins, each built around a slow, patient distillation designed to capture only the very best part of the spirit, the "heart" of the run.
Based in a beautifully restored 200 year old former railway building on the platform of Leyburn Station, it has picked up a string of international awards along the way.
Meet The Team
Chris Taplin founder of the company in 2018. He also owns the renowned Stone House Hotel in Hawes, Wensleydale, and set out to build a Yorkshire Dales gin brand that could stand alongside the area's well respected artisan food and drink producers.
Chris Young is an international media, marketing, sales and communications professional who has built several successful businesses over the past 25 years. With Yorkshire roots on his father's side, Chris has been visiting the Dales since he was a boy and now leads the brand's domestic and international sales growth.
Ellie Douglas brings a background in customer service, hospitality and ten years on the NHS front line to the events side of the business, looking after festivals, gin tastings, distillery tours and the popular Gin Train Experience.
Marie Heckle has a long track record in business creation, team development and customer facing roles, and works alongside the rest of the team on business strategy and planning as Wensleydale Distillery continues to grow.
How It's Made
The Wensleydale Distillery makes everything by hand in traditional alembic copper pot stills, at a converted 200 year old building that once served as a storage and repair depot on the Wensleydale Railway at Leyburn Station. Trial recipes are developed in a small copper still nicknamed "Ruby", before scaling up to the distillery's working stills, a 100 litre still named "Wendy" and a 300 litre still named "Jenny".
Gin
Each gin batch takes around two days from the first botanicals going in to soak through to the finished spirit coming off the still, with the distillation itself taking around 12 hours. A key part of the process is the cut: distillation naturally splits into the heads, the heart and the tails, and rather than blending some of the heads and tails back in to increase yield, The Wensleydale Distillery takes only a small central heart cut from each run, which is where the "Gin from the Heart" name comes from. Every gin is single shot, meaning each bottle comes directly from its own dedicated distillation, and only local Yorkshire Dales water is used to bring it down to bottling strength, with no additives or extra neutral spirit at any stage.
Wensleydale Spiced Rum
The rum starts life as fermented molasses rather than the faster-fermenting sugar cane syrup many rums use, chosen for the depth of flavour it gives despite the longer process. Once fermented, it's double distilled in the same alembic copper stills used for the gin, then a subtle blend of honey, cocoa, vanilla, mandarin zest, fresh ginger, black pepper and cardamom is added, a nod to the confectionery makers that have long been based in the Dales.
Tusky Vodka & TQ Vodka
Tusky Vodka takes a base of the finest potato vodka and complements it with rhubarb, ginger and vanilla, a nod to the famous Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle not far from the distillery. TQ Vodka is double distilled in the same copper alembic stills and blends molasses, ginger and lime with the potato vodka base for a smooth, citrus-led spirit.
Liqueurs
The distillery's newest range of liqueurs, including a Chocolate Chilli Vodka Liqueur, is built on the same small batch, copper still approach used across the rest of the range.
Sustainability
The Wensleydale Distillery sources many of its core ingredients close to home, including local Dales spring water and locally grown apples, alongside hops from fellow Yorkshire producer Black Sheep Brewery. The wild juniper used in the gin grows in the very Dale where the distillery is based.
The gin is produced in small batches using traditional copper stills, and the heart only cut naturally limits output in favour of quality over volume. No artificial additives or extra neutral spirit are used anywhere in the range.
Awards
- Silver medal, Gin Tasting category, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2019, achieved just five months after launch
- Finalist, Local Product of the Year, Flavours of Herriot Country Awards 2019
- Winner, Europe Wine & Spirits Trophy 2020
- Winner, World Gin Awards 2021
Where You'll Find Us
- The Distillery shop at Leyburn Station, Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5ET, open for visits, tastings and a free sample
What customers think
Taplin & Mageean holds a five star rating on Trustpilot from more than 80 reviews, with customers regularly praising fast dispatch, careful packaging and the quality of both the gin and the Wensleydale Spiced Rum. Several reviewers single out the Gin Train Experience itself, describing well organised tastings and knowledgeable, friendly hosts.
Trade press has also picked out the Signature Edition's silver medal win at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition as a standout early achievement for what was then a brand new distillery, and Craft Gin Magazine has highlighted the Gin Train Experience as a rare chance to sample the award winning range while taking in the Yorkshire Dales scenery.
FAQs
What is "single shot" gin?
Single shot means every bottle is produced from its own dedicated distillation run rather than being diluted down from a concentrated spirit. It's a more time consuming and expensive way to make gin, but it keeps the flavour true to the original recipe.
What is the ABV?
The Taplin & Mageean Signature Edition gin and the Wensleydale Spiced Rum are both bottled at 42% ABV.
Where are the spirits made?
Everything is distilled and bottled under one roof at the distillery, in a converted 200 year old building on the platform of Leyburn Station in Wensleydale, in the Yorkshire Dales.
What is the Gin Train Experience?
A regular event aboard the heritage railway line that runs right past the distillery, including a look around the distillery, a chat about the range, a return trip between Leyburn and Leeming Bar, four complimentary gins and a keepsake gin goblet.
Can I place a trade order?
Yes. The Wensleydale Distillery can scale up production to around 500 bottles a day for trade customers, with pricing negotiated depending on volume required.
What does The Wensleydale Distillery make?
Four core Taplin & Mageean gins (Signature Edition, Spiced Orange, Peach Perfect and Elderflower Orchard), Wensleydale Spiced Rum, Tusky Vodka, TQ Vodka and a growing range of liqueurs.
