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ou might have seen that last year, Martin kindly sent me a bottle of Pothecary gin’s new blend – Trinity gin. This has quickly become a firm favourite of mine (and currently has about 50ml left in it *sobs*), this gin was created as a rebellion against the rise in flavoured and coloured gins. That gin has, as the name suggests, just three botanicals: juniper, coriander and bergamot. That edition is bottled at 49% ABV, and this month Martin has launched the Smugglers’ Strength. Taking inspiration from the Dorset coastline history, this blend has been rebottled at 59% ABV. Sadly the official launch has been rather flattened due to the small global pandemic we are all currently living through, but bottles are available directly from Martin. In times like this it is important to remember to relax, I know the anxiety around the situation is grim, and I’m finding a well made gin and tonic is a good way to chill out (whilst drinking responsibly, the NHS don’t need anyone in hospital with alcohol poisoning at the moment), so I’m excited to give this a try.
pothecary gin
Pothecary Trinity Blend
I’m a fan of Pothecary gin, so when they announced their new Trinity Blend, I was excited to give it a try (thank you to Martin for kindly sending me a bottle). I’ve written about their British blended gin here, and tried their Thai blend (which is delicious) at Junipalooza. So, what makes the Trinity blend different? This gin was created as a rebellion; a rebellion against all that is wrong with gin, the pink gins, the glittery gins, the liqueurs masquerading as gins, the list goes on. Instead, they use just three botanicals: juniper, coriander, and bergamot. I am a BIG fan of bergamot, if you are too I’d recommend trying Italicus which is delicious with prosecco. I digress. So, a brand I like and three flavours I love – plus a hike up to 49% ABV AND it’s still organic. So, how does it taste?
Ginvent 2018 – Pothecary gin
We’ve made it to the penultimate day of Ginvent. Sad face. Today we drink Pothecary gin, which I tried after meeting the team at Junipalooza earlier this year. You can read my thoughts on it here.
You can get your hands on a 50cl bottle from Gin Kiosk for £39 (at the time of writing). You can find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Let me know your thoughts on Twitter and Instagram, and catch up with all things Ginvent here.
Pothecary Gin
Note: I met Lukasz from Pothecary gin at Junipalooza and he kindly sent me a bottle to try – as always, you’ll know if I don’t like it.
Pothecary gin was created because two friends share a passion for artisan – and organic – produce. This isn’t a London Dry style gin, they label theirs as “British blended” because they do things a bit differently over at Pothecary HQ. They distil each botanical separately and then blend these together before adding the water to lower the ABV. I’m not sure I’ve come across another gin that uses this method – gins that add flavours after the distillation certainly, but distilling each botanical on it’s own? Let me know if that is less unique than I think. Alongside the usual suspects of lemon peel (organic) and juniper (foraged) they use only three more botanicals – organic lavender and wild foraged tilia flowers and black mulberries (also organic). So how does this taste?
Ginvent 2016 – Pothecary Gin
Happy day 15 of Ginvent. Today brings us Pothecary gin, awarded silver in the Outstanding and Gin and Tonic categories at IWSC 2016. Created in Dorset by Soapbox Spirits, this new gin has already caused a stir and winning all the awards (as well as the two above they wont Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Awards). They create a fairly unique gin which uses lavender as a key botanical – I’m a bit wary of this because that sounds like something the Apprentice candidates would have dreamt up (that made everyone else angry right?).
It doesn’t smell as strong as I anticipated, quite floral with hints of lavender. The lavender is certainly more prominent once you pour it out into a copa glass. It hits you in the face – we’ve had a few of these gins in the last two weeks! The strong smell translates to quite a strong taste when straight. It certainly has a ginny burn to it with a heavy floral and scented aftertaste. I feel like I should be trying to sleep with this much lavender! Luckily, some dryness calms this down a bit. But you are definitely drinking lavender. Whilst I’m all about experimenting, I’m not certain gin mixes with everything. Like the nginious! smoked and salted gin, I think this could be great in a cocktail, but it’s not a winner for me as a G&T. I lack rosemary so can’t use that as a garnish – a top tip to counteract the sweetness, but again I think that might perk it up. Unless the floral is elderflower, I’m not really a floral gin person.
Pothecary Gin is bottled at 44.8% and a 50ml bottle of it is on Master of Malt for £40.05. You can find Pothecary Gin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Let me know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram, and catch up on Ginvent here.