Field Notes: Ben's Story
This guy makes gin. Alot of it.
When people talk about distillers, you expect craft talk - flavour notes, distillation processes, and of course, awards.
And sure, Ben Leggett has all of that on lock. His gin literally won World’s Best London Dry Gin in 2023. But honestly? That wasn’t the part of his story that stayed with me.
What stuck was how clear he is about what really matters: being a present partner, a dad, and building a life with intention, not just a business.
Some people know exactly what they want from the start. Others follow quieter threads, half instincts, half curiosity. Until suddenly one day, they look up and realise they’ve built exactly the life they once hoped for.
Ben’s story isn’t about chasing scale or clout.
When we spoke, it was clear: the bigger goal wasn’t just distilling gin. It was distilling his own version of enough.
Enough success, enough stillness, enough time with his family.
There’s a kind of quiet confidence in that. Especially in a world that tells us we should always want more. Ben’s version of ambition is measured in quality of time, not quantity of output.
That got me thinking.
Especially being in the thick of my own ‘in-between.’ No job title that rolls off the tongue. No fixed rhythm or blueprint to anchor myself to yet. Still pitching, still figuring things out, still trying.
When everything feels uncertain, there’s this nagging pressure to push harder. Thinking or feeling that if I’m not building towards something big, it doesn’t count.
But Ben’s pace reminded me that building slow doesn’t mean building small.
It’s really about getting clear on what you’re building for in the first place.
What is my version of enough?
Is it money, security, or visibility? Or is it that quiet sense of this feels right - having work that fits, people who show up, and a life that feels both grounded and alive?
That’s the thread I’m following right now.
No clear map. No guaranteed outcome.
Just that quiet pull of: keep going, keep asking, keep showing up.
And as always, I have to say… Hospitality as an industry really is one of my soft spots.
Even though I’m oceans apart these days, it blows my mind how welcoming and generous that world still is. That someone like Ben would sit down for a conversation, share so openly, let me in on both the shiny parts and the real, raw stuff.
I’ve said it before: Love the hospo industry, fr.
📝What quiet thread have you been following, even if it doesn’t make full sense yet?
Until the next stop,
keep holding space for the journey,
Al
So here’s to the slow burn called life.
To building on your own terms.
To following the thread even if it leads you right back to your roots or somewhere further away.
🎧If you’re into stories about patience, craft, and living life with steady intention, tune in to hear Ben’s take.
And if this resonates, share it with someone learning to build their path, one uncertain step at a time.