Mainline Spirit Co

Sitting on the mainline between London and Penzance, this Taunton distillery takes its cue from Britain's railway age: innovation, exploration and the pull of somewhere further west. Richard and Terri founded it to make spirits with genuine character and provenance, and the multi-award-winning results are distilled in Somerset using carefully selected botanicals and traditional craftsmanship. The name is not just geography. It is a statement about where the journey starts.

Gin and vodka lead the range, with more promised. The flagship gin leans bold and complex rather than shy: gunpowder green tea, citrus, green peppercorn and chamomile, balanced so no single element shouts over the others. It is a gin that rewards a decent tonic and a light hand with the garnish, or a martini if you want the botanicals unobscured. Worth seeking out if you find most gins interchangeable.