Masons Yorkshire Gin, Bedale, North Yorkshire
It all started on a Friday…
Mason’s Gin isn’t even 2 years old yet but they’re already taking the world by storm with their unique brand of Yorkshire spirit.
Gin enthusiasts Karl and Cathy Mason were often partial to a gin and tonic on a Friday night and as many do, they would post a picture of their weekend tipple on social networking site Facebook. From this tradition grew “Gin and Tonic Fridays” a Facebook group where gin fans would post photos of their Friday gin and tonic and Karl would pick a winner each week. Gin companies soon caught on and started sending Karl samples to try and giveaway to winners. Having sampled almost every gin going Karl decided that many of them were the same, so he decided he wanted to make a gin that stood out from the crowd.
Launching on 14th of June 2013 which just happened to be World Gin Day, Masons had something that no other gin had. It was the only Yorkshire gin!
It’s all in the botanicals…
As well as having the niche of being the only gin made in Yorkshire, Karl and Cathy spent a lot of time perfecting a unique flavour for their product.
Cathy says; “Gin in general is known for having a very strong Juniper aroma and taste, however the juniper in our gin is more subtle and therefore less perfumed. Our flavour has a bit more spice and citrus to it, which is what makes us so unique.”
Having worked with established distillery to perfect their product in the beginning all the Masons Gin production now takes place from their modest headquarters in Bedale.
While Cathy and Karl initially thought they would manage production and work the still (gin distillery) themselves, high demand for the product meant they couldn’t cope with handling both production and the day to day running of the business and so they hired gin expert Gerard!
Having worked for Tanqueray Gordon Gerard was the perfect fit to take on the production of Mason’s unique spirit and help Cathy and Karl meet the orders of their growing customer base.
Nurturing customers…
With the recent resurgence in the popularity of Gin, Masons has picked up customers not just in the Yorkshire area but all over the country, particularly in London an area with a long established gin making heritage.
Closer to home their gin is stocked in a number of retail outlets including Lewis and Coopers in Northallerton, Corks and Cases in Masham, Harvey Nichols in Leeds, Weetons and Fodder both in Harrogate.
One of their best on-trade customers is Rudding Park Hotel on the outskirts of Harrogate.
Karl says; “Every month I visit Rudding Park to carry out staff training. It helps them get to know both us and our product better and if they’re enthusiastic about our gin, then they’re more likely to sell it which is great for us!”
Every day is exciting when you’re making gin…
When asked about the highlights of their journey with Mason’s Gin Cathy finds it difficult to pick just one.
“Everything is new to us, so it’s all so exciting. I love doing the shows and markets and seeing people try our gin for the first time as well as recognising regular customers who have bought it before. However if we had to pick, serving our gin at The British Ambassador’s Residence in Paris, as part of a Tour De France showcase was pretty special.”
Why Deliciouslyorkshire…
Cathy and Karl became members of Deliciouslyorkshire just a few months after the business began and are now in their 2nd year of membership.
Karl says “There were various different membership groups that approached us but Deliciouslyorkshire was the only one that was specifically for food and drink, which appealed to us. Every event we’ve attended, whether it’s networking or a show we’ve picked up a new customer.”