spirit

Gin Eva La Mallorquina Olive gin

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Note: I met the Gin Eva team at Junipalooza and the kindly sent me some samples to try, as always I’ll let you know if I don’t like it.

You may have already seen my posts on Gin Eva‘s Mallorcan Dry and Bergamot gin and today we are drinking their special edition La Mallorquina. Named after a traditional olive variety that can only be found on Majorca, they use the leftover olives from a olive mill that have had the oil extracted. They then steep these in pure grain spirit for several weeks before the distillation process to then blend with juniper and coriander distillates. Whilst they say this works well as a gin and tonic, this is really designed to be drunk as a dry martini – even better if you replace the vermouth with sherry. That might be a bit much for me, but let’s see how it tastes.

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Hayman’s Gin

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You can’t talk about English gins without mentioning Hayman’s Gin. The Hayman family have been involved in the gin industry since the original gin boom 150 years ago, opening doors in 1863. Since then, their range of ‘True English’ gins have been distilled and made just as they would have been back then. Running three stills at a time (Marjorie the grandmother of the current Hayman’s, Karin the mother and Miranda the current fifth generation distiller who FYI is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet) they blend ten botanicals including cinnamon, nutmeg and liquorice together to make their London Dry gin. But it doesn’t stop there – they also have an Old Tom gin, a sloe gin, a navy strength edition and a gently rested gin – not aged, just rested. They have recently moved to Balham to a BEAUTIFUL new distillery which is open for tours which I highly recommend as it is so lovely I want to move in – and not just because when I went they said the words “help yourself to whatever you want”. They also have branded lemon peel.

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Cuckoo Gin

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Note: I contacted Brindle Distillery and they kindly sent me a bottle of Cuckoo gin to try. This won’t influence my tastebuds though.

Based in Lancashire, Brindle Distillery produce Cuckoo Gin – a gin with sustainable and ethically-sourced botanicals and named after a local legend. The Brindle Cuckoo hails back to the middle ages when hearing the first cuckoo’s call of spring led to celebrations that the fertility of the land would reward the farm workers. So, obviously, the locals decided to catch one to keep in the village to bring them luck all year round – except the cuckoo was smart and flew off. Now, anyone born and bred in Brindle is known as a Brindle Cuckoo. They keep this theme running with locally grown botanicals from the surrounding fields and their natural water source delivers spring water straight to the distillery. Being ecologically minded doesn’t stop there; they heat their still, Maggie, with renewable energy biomass boilers and they feed any distilling byproducts to their cattle and chickens. They say their gin is smooth with flavours starting at juniper and developing to citrus, spice and pepper. Let’s see how it fares…

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Two Birds Cocktail Gin

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Two Birds has been one of my favourites since I was given a bottle of their London Dry gin a few years ago (and one of my first blogs) and their Old Tom gin is a delight. Today I’m trying their Cocktail Gin (as donated by Leahtheminx – thanks!). The cocktail gin is a specially distilled version of their London Dry which has ramped up the juniper but kept the 40% ABV. They say there isn’t a gin based cocktail that this doesn’t work in, but they recommend mixing with with apple juice, elderflower syrup and ice. Continue reading →

Ginvent 2017 – Bathtub Gin Old Tom

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Here we are at day 23 of ginvent and today is a day I am particularly excited for. Today we try the Old Tom gin from Ableforth’s Bathtub gin collection. Ableforth’s Bathtub gin is probably one of the most iconic brands on the market with their distinctive brown paper wrapping, and I’ve tried their traditional version here. I really like Old Tom gins, so this should be a treat, Continue reading →

Ginvent 2017 – Hayman’s London Dry Gin

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Happy day 15 of Ginvent! Today we drink Hayman’s London Dry gin to celebrate it being Friday and the fact I survived my first week of my new job eek. Their award winning gin is made to a secret family recipe of 10 botanicals such as juniper, coriander, lemon and orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg and liquorice. They also make an Old Tom gin, Sloe gin, Family Reserve and Royal Dock gin – along with some limited releases. Each bottle is hand made and hand bottled to ensure that each bottle is up to their standards. The Hayman’s have distilling in their blood; in 1863 James Burrough was a curious pharmacist who made gin as well as a number of medicinal ingredients which filtered through the family and became the producers of Beefeater gin. When the family business was sold, they set up Hayman’s gin to carry on the tradition.

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Ginvent 2017 – Campfire Gin

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It’s day 10 of Ginvent and I went out last night so we’re actually trying the day 9 gin – for which I am very happy. I have heard lots of good things about today’s gin and have wanted to try it for ages, and now I can! Today we try Campfire Gin, a gin from Tring that appeared after 18 months of experimenting and a successful crowdfunding campaign. They use 10 botanicals in their gin, including hazelnut, coffee cherry, lavender and golden berry. As well as their original recipe gin, they also produce a Navy Strength and Cask Aged gin, along with seasonal variations. So let’s end the wait and see how this tastes. Continue reading →

Foxhole Gin

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A while ago I was in a pub in the mighty Haywards Heath and got chatting to two random women about gin – as I do. They mentioned a new gin made in the area, and I went “oh that sounds interesting” and promptly forgot all about it. On Monday at work, a friend handed me a leaflet and a business card and said “I met this guy the other day, you should get in touch”. Lo and behold, it was Foxhole Gin. I was in love instantly, purely because I am in love with their font and the use of a fox on the logo. I gave James, the managing director, an email and I was lucky enough to be sent a sample (thanks!) for this blog. They actually sent it to me at the start of December, but I was kinda distracted by Ginvent. But here we now are.

Foxhole use a grape spirit as the base, the unused by products from Bolney wine estate down the road. This makes the gin eco friendly in my books as they reduce wastage and utilise a sustainable raw ingredient. I’m expecting some similarities in taste with Chilgrove Gin as they use a grape base spirit as well. The tasting notes James kindly supplied say I will get a velvet texture with floral coriander and balanced with citrus from grapefruit and lemon. All in all, sounds good.

Smells slightly thick (makes sense when you smell it) and rich and fresh. The fresher tones open up in the glass. Straight up it has an almost peppery front to it, the flavour is deep and textured with a slight bitterness at the back of the threat. Mixed up with tonic, this is very smooth and fresh at the tip of the tongue and the citrus bitterness is enhanced at the back of the throat. Not overwhelming with flavour, it feels like a nice summery drink. The bitter tones make it more exciting, and this could well be a nice every day drink.

A very limited edition of the first batch of bottles are available to buy on their website at £40 a bottle. Now, is this a bit pricey? Yes. I however, think it’s worth it. It is a lovely, small batch gin with a BEAUTIFUL hand crafted bottle. I’m a believer in supporting local businesses, so once I’ve had a raid on the bottle collection in my house, this is on the to buy list.

You can follow Foxhole Spirits on Twitter and Facebook, and let me know if you’ve tried it on Twitter and Instagram.

Whilst I was sent this sample for free to review, this is an honest review. I don’t pretend to love things if I don’t.

Arbikie Gin

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img_0212Imma start with an apology – this is a very late blog. This came at the beginning of December, but I had enough gin to drink from Ginvent so here it is, on the last day of December. I can’t write about December’s gin in January. That would be stupid. But anyway, at the start of December I received my favourite package, my Craft Gin Club delivery. In it came a bottle of Arbikie Gin, a gin I’ve seen a lot on Twitter and wanted to try for a while. This bottle is a special batch of AK’s Gin – we’re the first to try it yo! This gin pays tribute to A.K. Stirling – the father of founders David, Iain and John. Arbikie is pretty special as it is a one estate distillery – their main gin uses a base spirit made from farm grown potatoes and botanicals are sourced on their land. AK’s gin departs from this and and uses a wheat base spirit to give it a buttery start, and adding AK’s favourite food as botanicals: honey. Joining honey sourced by a neighbouring beekeper are mace, thistle, black pepper and calamus root.

img_0213Straight from the bottle it smells good, rich and deep but nothing overpowering which in the glass opens up some fresher, lighter notes. Paired with a splash of water (can I quickly say how strange it feels doing a tasting with more than 30ml of gin, this feels like a very long process already!) there’s no nasty alcohol burn. It’s smooth and silky – the buttery finish is very clear. A hint of spice in the back of the mouth gives it a little lift and kick of flavour. We all know drinking straight gin is a terrible thing for me to do, but this is nice. Particularly on a dark, cold, misty Brighton day. Yay winter.

img_0214I’m using the tonic provided in our box – The London Essence Co. Classic London Tonic Water (all of their mixers are naturally low in calories and sugar, perfect for those being ‘healthier’ in 2017) – which on its own is actually drinkable. Especially considering it’s low sugar. Not too shabby. But onto the gin. The gin brings out some more acidic flavours, but it keeps the earthiness at the back of the mouth. A small sweetness (from the honey) balances out the woodiness. A lemon wedge (because no matter how many times people suggest using orange, I WON’T DO IT) adds a citrus note to the front of the tasting. It’s interesting. The earthy back notes certainly give it more depth, but it doesn’t have a hit of flavour up front. This might be because it’s been sat in my flat, aka the coldest place in Brighton, for a month. Craft Gin Club suggest some warm cocktails, or a cinnamon stick as a garnish which I think would enhance the flavours.

img_0215Also, DAYUM that shortbread is good. This does not lie when it says melts in the mouth.

Because this gin is super exclusive I can’t seem to find it online anywhere, but a bottle of their flagship Kirty’s Gin is currently £34.26 on Master of Malt. You can get in touch with them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Check out Craft Gin Club on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The London Essence Co. are also on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Finally, Happy New Year to everyone reading. I’ve had an awesome 2016 and I’d like to thank y’all for sticking with me. Chat with me about gin and other fun things on Twitter and Instagram. Laters 2016 xx

Ginvent 2016 – Fishers Gin

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img_9895 [Note: I am writing this at 11:10pm after three glasses of wine and half a bottle of prosecco]

It’s day 21 and we’re nearly at the end of Ginvent. Frankly, this has been tougher than anticipated. I’m not the most consistent at blogging at the best of times. But today we get to try Fishers Gin – which I think is winning best bottle design so far. Created on the Suffolk Coast using location-specific botanicals spignel, rock samphire, wood aven and bog myrtle. No, I don’t know how these taste either.

img_9896Straight from the bottle it’s juniper heavy, and in the glass it opens up to a more zesty smell. Straight from the glass, it has a lot of flavour. A slight cumin taste comes forward, with a saltier edge which I imagine comes from the rock samphire. The taste lingers, it is certainly pungent. Not in a terrible way. But it lingers. With tonic, it’s slightly non-descript. It definitely tastes of juniper, with some zestiness. But it’s nothing special. I would describe this as an every day gin – slightly heavier than a Gordon’s etc., but nothing to write home about (or indeed, wait up instead of going to bed at a normal time to write a blog about). I’m sad about this, I checked #ginvent on Twitter before I went out for dinner (I had a social life tonight) and people seemed to think it was fairly flavoursome. I’m not that impressed.

img_9897A 50cl bottle of the 44% gin is £47 over on Master of Malt. I would buy it purely for the bottle design, for the taste? Not so much. You can find Fishers Gin on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Catch up on Ginvent here, and let me know what you think on Twitter and Instagram.