Reviving a forgotten industry

Co-founder of Maidstone Distillery, Darren Graves, began distilling at home in Bearsted but after learning of Maidstone’s impressive links with the industry, he, along with wife Sam, could not resist rising to the challenge of taking on the craft full-time.

The first Maidstone distillery was opened by George Bishop in 1785 and gained significant notoriety.

By 1803, it was renowned for producing one of the finest gins in all of Europe, referred to as Maidstone Gin or Maidstone Geneva.

It was hugely popular due to its high alcohol volume - 47.5% - and, at the height of production, the distillery was producing 5,000 gallons per week. Upon the death of Mr Bishop in 1793, the company was mismanaged and closed in around 1818. But in the mid 1850s, a Thomas Grant set up a new distillery in Hart Street, which went on to produce other fine spirits including “Morello Cherry Brandy”, acclaimed as the “nation’s liqueur” and a favoured tipple of Queen Victoria.

However, the sale of spirits by the distillery was discontinued in about 1982 - which is where the Graves come in.

The pair’s first product is an ode to the founding father of Maidstone’s distilling past, George Bishop, with the spirit given the same name.

A huge mural has also been copied onto one of the distillery walls - a lively sketch of Napoleon and his wife feasting on England’s assets following his invasion of Britain. Among the roast beef and plated up Bank of England stand a bottle of Maidstone gin - evidencing its prominence and popularity. Mr Graves said: “It had always been a day dream but the history really inspired us. It has taken a little longer than we initially thought, as we started working on this in September 2018, but it has definitely been worth it.

“There’s a real forgotten history here and we really want to champion it and create an interest by getting people to come in, have a look around, learn about the industry’s past and, of course, try the gin.”