Henley’s Award Winning Highly-Spirited Gin

And so the story of our Henley Artisan Gin goes…In 1870 Mr. Harry Hobbs, founder of Hobbs and Sons (now Hobbs of Henley) and publican of The Ship Hotel was renowned throughout the town for his flamboyant beard and high-spirited nature. He was often seen in his punt around 11am enjoying his home-distilled gin.

Frequently spotted sipping from his unique glass or his wood-rimmed drinking flask, Mr Hobbs was forever throwing river parties along the banks of the Thames in Henley. He also hired out his boats for like-minded members of the public to host their own shindigs.

When perusing the Hobbs of Henley business archives, records pointed us towards the rumours that Harry had been distilling his own gin back in the day and it inspired our journey to follow in his footsteps.