You wouldn't know it today, but several hundred years ago the word Maidstone was synonymous with top-quality gin all around Europe.

Now Darren Graves and wife Sam are trying to revive that legacy through a distillery in the heart of the County Town...

Maidstone has been famous for several industries over the years: paper-making, custard powder and even toffee. But one product long associated with the county town is gin.

In fact spirits from the County Town were renowned across Europe, famously quaffed by Napoleon, before Maidstone Distillery closed in 1982.

Now the distillery’s newly-launched name-sake, based in Market Buildings, is re-claiming this legacy, and is about to launch a new Morella rosé gin — the first time cask aged spirits have been produced in Maidstone for more than 40 years.

The drink distilled from grain alcohol and juniper berries has seen its popularity ebb and flow over the centuries.

It started life as a Dutch drink called genever and, prior to the late 17th century, we English much preferred a glass of French brandy.

But then in 1688, a young Dutch Protestant prince, William of Orange, and his English wife Mary snatched the crown of England in a bloodless revolution, deposing the Catholic King James II, thus ushering in a Protestant revival and a new disdain towards Catholic France.

In a patriotic fervour, the English ditched their French brandy and began to quaff the favourite spirit of their new king - gin.

Under William and Mary, taxes on French brandy went way up, while taxes on gin were abolished, as were most licensing restrictions.

Anyone in the country could distil gin – and distil they did. For many of the common people, gin was considered cleaner and safer to drink than the polluted water available.

It was an instant hit with all strata of society, but unfortunately a wave of public drunkenness ensued.

Soon the newspapers were howling about social disintegration and eventually the government was compelled to act, introducing high taxes on gin and shutting the majority of distilleries.

The result was simply a boom in smuggling of gin from abroad.

It was around this time that George Bishop, a native of Maidstone, was working at a distillery in Holland and acquired the art of distilling the celebrated Schiedam gin.

On his return to England he was determined to set up the industry in his home town and produce a spirit of the highest quality.

Not put off by the changing laws, he personally lobbied government, arguing that the spirit should be produced in a controlled and regulated manner, and that a quality UK product would prevent smuggling, which he claimed in evidence he gave to the House of Lords was running at an estimated four million gallons a year.

So effective was his persuasion that an Act of Parliament decreed George Bishop could distil Maidstone geneva (gin) and not pay duties. The Act was renewed a further eight times.

In 1781 there is already reference to George Bishop running a distillery somewhere in Maidstone, but in 1789 he opened a purpose-built brick distillery in premises next to the Old Kentish Bank owned by Brenchley and Co, in Week Street. In the years that followed Maidstone gin would become popular worldwide.

A caricature, published by James Gillray of London in 1803, depicts Napoleon and his wife Josephine, sitting at a table with members of their court, enjoying the spoils of England after their planned “invasion”.

Among the various bottles lying strewn around is one depicting “Maidstone” - recognition that the spirit was once enjoyed even by the French dictator himself.

The size of the production at Maidstone distillery is recorded in Hasted’s History of Kent printed 1801. Hasted writes: “There has been a distillery erected and carried on here to a very large extent, by Mr George Bishop, from which is produced the well-known Maidstone geneva, being of such magnitude that no less than 700 hogs are kept from the surplus grains…”

The great popularity of Maidstone gin was because of its extra strength and quality.

It was 83% proof (the average strength of gin today is around 70%).

Demand was so great, that Bishop soon set up branch distilleries in London and Liverpool. At the height of production, the Maidstone Distillery was producing 5,000 gallons each week.

George Bishop died in 1793 and the distillery passed to other members of his family: his brother Sir William Bishop, and nephews (another) George Bishop, and Argyles Bishop, who were sons of a third brother, James.

Things did not go well, with Sir William dying in 1817 (both he and George are buried at All Saints Church, Maidstone) and the business was sold to new owners in 1819, but with the younger George Bishop continuing as manager of the concern.

Meanwhile, Argyles Bishop had married into the wealthy Brenchley family and set up a rival distillery in St Peter Street in premises that were later engulfed by the Maidstone Brewery. Both distilleries closed when Parliament rescinded their special tax privileges on the grounds that the concessions had been personally made to George Bishop (senior).

But Maidstone gin underwent a revival a few decades later.

In the mid-1850s, Thomas Grant, a descendant of one of those who had worked with George Bishop, set up a new distillery in Maidstone in Hart Street. It didn’t cease production until 1982.

Bishop’s original distillery in Bank Street was converted to a steam-powered corn mill. It was destroyed by a fire in 1926.

Now gin-making in Maidstone has restarted with the opening in June 2020 of a new Maidstone Distillery based in Market Buildings, the brainchild of Darren Graves and wife Sam.

Its first gin was named after the great man himself: the George Bishop London Dry Gin.

It’s Morella rosé gin launches this month.

For more, or to buy a bottle, click here.

Mr Graves said: "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."