115-121 Tooley Street alongside the Union Cold Storage Co.

Boord And Son Fine finding gin shipwrecked

Boord & Son’s Distillery was built in 1899-1901 to provide a consolidated, riverside location for the two
previously separated branches of the firm’s business. The new complex, of which only the General Office
fronting Tooley Street survives, was largely designed by Aston Webb. It extended northwards from the
distinctive office front in a huge, narrow swathe of distillery buildings and bonded warehouses – some
pre-existing warehouses being retained and re-used – terminating at an equally striking edifice, the South
Thames Wharf.

Boord And Son Fine finding gin shipwrecked

The General Office is of considerable interest, not only as one of Aston Webb’s earlier, lesser known
commissions, but also as an example of a turn-of-the century commercial building that exploited
innovative construction and state-of-the-art service technologies.

Boord And Son Fine finding gin shipwrecked

The judicious use of structural steel –
in tandem with exterior loadbearing walls – enabled a large, well-lit, atrium complete with first-floor
gallery. This visually impressive architectural space, clearly designed to impress visitors to the firm’s
prestige commercial headquarters, was dependent on the concealed steel framing and as such is
illustrative of how architects of this era were exploiting the material to realize challenging formal,
planning and aesthetic requirements. Similarly, from a functional perspective, the employment of a hotwater system, electric lighting, mechanical ventilation and telephones satisfied the requirements of both
the clerical/administrative and industrial nature of the work conducted throughout the complex as a
whole.

ENGLISH HERITAGE
ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY REPORT

BOORD & SON’S DISTILLERY OFFICES

115-121 TOOLEY STREET
LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTH WARK

NBR No: 98660
NOR: TQ 3320 8014
Surveyed: April 1999
Report by Jonathan Clarke
Photographs by Derek Kendall

SUMMARY

Boord And Son Gin Distillery was built in 1899-1901 to provide a consolidated, riverside location for the two
previously separated branches of the firm’s business. The new complex, of which only the General Office
fronting Tooley Street survives, was largely designed by Aston Webb. It extended northwards from the
distinctive office front in a huge, narrow swathe of distillery buildings and bonded warehouses – some
pre-existing warehouses being retained and re-used – terminating at an equally striking edifice, the South
Thames Wharf.

HISTORY

The striking office building at Nos. 115-121 Too ley Street (Fig. I) survives as the sole remnant of a huge
industrial complex that stretched northwards as far as the Thames, where it terminated at another
distinctive edifice, the South Thanies Wharf.

This complex, largely demolished in the late 1980s,
signalled the expansion and prosperity of a long-established firm of distillers, who in 1901 relocated from
their two existing branches at Bartholomew Close and Alihallows Lane to take up residence in new
premises built and converted to the purpose to designs by Aston Webb.’

The firm, established in 1726
had a history of moving with the times as far as changing public demand for alcoholic beverages was
concerned. By the mid-nineteenth century under the direction of Joseph Boord, it was specialising
largely in the wines of the Medoc. Alongside this, it had an established hold on the Scotch spirit and gin
trade, and by the 1870s it began production of whisky, then coming increasingly into vogue.

Boord &Son were incorporated in 1888, and it seems likely that by 1 June 1901, when the two branches of the firm were united on the newly completed freehold property at Tooley Street, Sir Thomas William Boord (1838-1912) was in overall charge.

The move to Tooley Street may also have been associated with a
specialization in brandy and gin manufacture, since the 1902 edition of the Kelly’s Directory of the Wine
and Spirit Trades lists only these products. However, the 1908 Kelly Post Office Directory describes
the firm as ‘distillers, whisky merchants & blenders, importers of foreign wines & spirits, methylated

Boord And Son Fine finding gin shipwrecked

Cocktails with… Boord’ s Old Tom Gin

Posted on October 6, 2011 by DTS

I first tried Boord’s Old Tom Gin before the modern renaissance of the spirit which was kick-started by Hayman’s releasing and Old Tom Gin some years back. Having done some elementary research on gin, I remember being suprised at the time that there was still Old Tom Gin available but I was a little dissapointed when I tried it as it seemed to taste like ordinary dry gin.

Boord And Son Fine finding gin shipwrecked

Half a decade and 200 different gins later I decided to revisit the gin to review. Whilst performing some research before our tasting of 10 Old Tom Gins I had a conversation with the production manager of Boord’s in Missouri, USA. He told me that their “Old Tom” is just part of the branding (matching their cat and barrel logo) and that is not a reflection of the style of gin in the bottle.* Currently Boord’s two strengths of “Old Tom” Gin and another Extra Dry Gin. They did once make a Golden Gin that was sweetened with sugar and bottled at 50%ABV but it has now been discontinued.

On with the tasting.

Own

nose: juniper, coriander, citrus
taste: slight sweetness initally, then some burn then very strong flavours of juniper and realtively weaker cirtus, coriander and angelica. One taster commented that it had some similarities in character to Tanqueray and Plymouth.

Gin & Tonic

Quite powerful with a kick. Juniper and some citrus; quite nice but a touch cloying, this could be solved by using another tonic water. This drink was very, very dry at the end.

Martini

Full of flavour and rather bold. Quite dry with juniper and a biter of spice. Some slightly maltiness and some sake like quality. Unusual hearty and although it doesn’t have the smooth, clean crispnessof a typical Martini I quite liked it.

*To be clear Boord’s Old Tom is not, nor do Boord’s claim that is, a gin in the Old Tom Style.

Amazing Story About Boord And Son Gin

Fred Van de Walle’s journey in gin

Fred Van de Walle shares his journey from finding gin shipwrecked at the bottom of the ocean to founding his own brand

Fred Van de Walle Marcel Gin Liqueur

We spoke to Fred Van de Walle, shipwreck conservator, artist, and now gin liqueur maker. He shared his journey from finding gin shipwrecked at the bottom of the ocean to founding his own brand.

Salvaging the SS Mantola

In 2011, a salvage operation began. The UK government contracted Odyssey Marine Exploration (OME) to recover the SS Mantola, a British India Steam Navigation Company cargo ship which was sunk by a German U-boat on its way to India in 1917. Lifeboats were dispatched, but the ship and its cargo were abandoned.

The ship carried silver, goods, and 18 passengers. Among its cargo was an impressive array of alcohol, given the privation that the First World War had imposed. Captaining the ship was David James Chivas, a member of the Chivas family, whose forefathers had founded renowned drinks brand Chivas Brothers in the previous century.

Among the salvaged cargo, OME retrieved what they believe to be wine, whisky, port, and about 40 bottles of gin, still stoppered. The gin caught the interest of shipwreck conservator Fred Van de Walle, who at the time worked for OME (the company has since refocused from shipwreck conservation to deep sea mining).

Further inspection

Curious about the gin’s past — and its possible future — Van de Walle and his client from OME, who now owns the salvaged gin, arranged for samples of the shipwrecked gin to be sent to Tobias Gorn, gin expert and co-founder and partner at International Drinks Specialists, for review. The three are seeking to identify the flavours of the gin for potential recreation, and to gain greater understanding of the recipe and aromatics that were behind early 20th century gin.

“I got very excited when something very special landed on my desk,” recalls Gorn. “These over [one] hundred years old samples are intriguing but also difficult to evaluate given that instead of a slow oxidation and maturation in an oxidative environment, they have been resting sealed if not with some reduction.

“We have consulted a couple of gin expert friends, and we narrowed down the possible origin of this gin to one specific historical brand.”

Most of the gin recovered was from Boord & Son, a brand established in 1726 and known for its Old Tom gin. The distillery’s former office — designed by Aston Webb (architect of the Buckingham Palace façade and the Victoria and Albert Museum’s main building) and now a Grade II listed building — still sits on Tooley Street, London. The team have analysed the samples, hoping to recreate the recipe behind the 20th-century gin.

Images (left to right): A Boord & Son bottle seal; One of salvaged bottles.

Boord And Son Fine finding gin shipwrecked

“The story continues with more research,” says Gorn. “I have started to draft a recipe that will be a close recreation if not resurrection of this lost brand based on the salvaged marine samples. It is tricky as sadly the original samples are not necessarily in their original intended condition, but we managed to get enough information to confirm the main style and botanicals [that] potentially have been used.”

Gorn is hopeful about historic gin’s future. Working alongside him on the project will be Van de Walle, whose interest in gin goes beyond the history. Five years ago, Van de Walle began work on Marcel Gin Liqueur, which was also evaluated by IDS, and which Gorn calls a “wonderful creation”.

“Working with Fred will help to get this project in motion,” concludes Gorn. “It is something very special that will take people on an exciting journey that started over a hundred years ago.”

An explorer’s gin liqueur

Van de Walle’s career has taken him worldwide, uncovering secrets beneath the sea. Marcel Gin Liqueur is inspired by Van de Walle’s travels, and the flavours and experiences he discovered along the way.

Originally from Belgium, he drew on his country’s heritage of genever, united with aromatics from around the world. To develop and distil the recipe, Van de Walle teamed up with Zum Tröpfli Distillery, spirit makers based in Switzerland, where he now lives. The result is a gin liqueur, which he says has prominent flavours of marzipan, nuts, and orange.

Although Marcel can be served neat or over ice, Van de Walle likes it best mixed into cocktails where he can experiment with the flavours it brings. He likes to get people involved in the process, giving samples to bartenders or friends to see what they can create.

“I don’t have one particular style,” says Van de Walle, who is an artist as well as conservator and spirit-maker. “It’s more of an exchange of ideas or techniques… it doesn’t have to be just art. I do it with everything, like in the kitchen.”

Fred Van de Walle with Marcel Gin Liqueur

To Van de Walle, mixing the liqueur into cocktails allows the creative process to continue, long after the liquid itself has been created and bottled. He is now in the development process for his next spirits: whisky and tequila. As ever, he is led by flavour first and foremost.

Reflecting on the process of making Marcel, Van de Walle says, “I didn’t intentionally set out to create a drink that didn’t exist. I just tried to make something that I thought would be interesting and nice. And it did. So that worked out.”

Image: Fred Van de Walle and Marcel

4 April 2024