By Rebecca Harris
The great grandson of the man who invented Beefeater — Old Tom gin marketing director, James Hayman — will be in Australia next week to conduct exclusive interviews for the trade.
As the longest serving gin-distilling family in the UK, the Hayman family has a lineage that dates back to the 1800s when founder James Burrough created Beefeater.
Made in a botanically intense style popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, Old Tom gin’s distinctive taste is the key ingredient in classic gin cocktails such as the Martinez, Tom Collins and Ramos Gin Fizz.
Another one of Burrough’s great grandsons, Christopher Hayman, is now the chairman of Hayman Distillers. “[It’s] very exciting to be following in his footsteps and reviving this old but not forgotten classic style of gin,” he said in a statement.
Marketing director James Hayman’s visit to Australia will be hosted by Southtrade International, which has been distributing the City of London Dry gin and Old Tom gin in Australia since 2007.