Another day, another gin. To those that finished Dry January, I salute you. To those that didn’t…that’s probably why we are friends. Today I am drinking 6 O’Clock’s Brunel Edition gin. I should admit I stole a sample of this from one of my visits to Gin Foundry…but I did ask for permission first! I’ve tried their London Dry before (which you can read here) and this edition is distilled with even more juniper and six new botanicals – plus has had a limited bottling run.
Author: jennyinbrighton
Thomas Dakin Gin
You’ve probably already heard of Thomas Dakin gin, and I’m sure you’ve seen the red square bottles on the supermarket shelves before. But did you know that they’ve been distilling since 1761? Thomas Dakin was just 25 years old when he started making gin in Warrington. Considering the reputation that gin had at the time, Thomas Dakin continued experimenting and innovating and is now widely considered as the forefather of modern British gin. His daughter-in-law Margaret become the world’s first female distiller, his son was friends with the Greenall family, fast forward 250 years later and Thomas Dakin Small Batch gin is launched. Thomas Dakin gin is juniper led with big hits of orange and infused with root botanical red cole – a member of the horseradish family.
Loch Ness Gin
What feels like forever ago, I was very lucky and won a bottle of Loch Ness Gin from Master of Malt during their #whiskysanta giveaway. And with an amazing amount of self restraint, I haven’t cracked into it. Until today. The husband and wife team come from a family that have lived and worked in the Highlands since before 1520 and they hand gather their own native crop of juniper for their passion project. In fact, it’s not just the juniper that is hand picked. All of their botanicals can be found on the banks of Loch Ness, and their branding is phenomenal because I love Loch Ness. The film with Ted Danson was a childhood staple, and we spent a dreadful family holiday touring around Scotland – one day of which was spent Nessie hunting on my insistence. Give me a myth and mystery around something ridiculous and I’m there. Continue reading
Hoxton Gin
It’s January! After the madness of Ginvent and general December frivolities, I’ve been taking a bit of time away from the blog to recharge. That and I’ve got a hacking cough. Yay January. But back to the gin. My sister got me a bottle of Hoxton Gin for Christmas. I have to admit, I wasn’t the most thrilled when I opened it because I know the main flavour is coconut which I’m not a fan of, and haven’t heard the best things about it. But it’s also heavy on the grapefruit which I do love. So let’s give it a go. Continue reading
Batch Gin
It’s December! Which means one thing…it’s Craft Gin Club delivery time. Now you may have noticed that this post is coming rather late, but I had enough gin to get through with #ginvent so I’m only just getting around to this. This month’s delivery comes from Batch Gin, along with two bottles of Fentiman’s tonic – one rose lemonade and one ginger ale – some Paterson’s shortbread, a bar of Beech’s Ginger Dark Chocolate and a jar of Bonne Marman Salted Caramel spread. Batch Gin is distilled in Burnley and features festive botanicals including frankincense, myrrh and allspice plus cloves, orange peel and lemongrass. Working from a converted windmill, the family team are adventurous – their plan for 2018 is to release a new product every month. Like most brands, founder Phil dreamed of starting up his own business, which was actually a brewery at first. Then he got annoyed at the sheer number of craft beers on the market. So he settled on that other tiny market – gin (although they have since made a vodka and have a rum ageing in barrels as I type).
Ginvent 2017 – One Gin
It’s the final day of #ginvent! Today we are trying One Gin which I’ve already reviewed after meeting the team at Imbibe Live and you can read more about here.
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Ginvent 2017 – Bathtub Gin Old Tom
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 – Persie Sweet & Nutty Old Tom Gin
Here we are, two days from the end of Ginvent and today we are trying Persie‘s Sweet & Nutty Old Tom Gin. I’ve tried their Aromatic Herb gin – which you can read here – so let’s see how this differs. This version is creamy with hints of vanilla, butterscotch, almonds and gingerbread. They suggest serving this neat over ice as an after dinner drink, or adding a splash of ginger ale.
Ginvent 2017 – Sir Robin of Locksley Gin
We’ve made it to day 21 of Ginvent (three days left ahh!) and today we are drinking Sir Robin of Locksley Gin. You might not know the name, but you’ve probably seen the bottle which glows yellow/green in the light. Not quite a London dry, not quite an Old Tom, they aimed for a gin that was easily sippable, yet also worked well in a cocktail. Mixing traditional juniper with botanicals such as elderflower, cassia, dandelion and pink grapefruit, this gin sounds like it has a lot going on – but will the flavours work together? Continue reading
Ginvent 2017 – Masons Dry Yorkshire Gin Lavender edition
I have something to admit here. I have had a test tube of Masons Yorkshire Gin sat on my shelf waiting to be opened since last Christmas…and today we are trying their lavender edition. I should point out I haven’t tried it yet because I sort of forgot about it, not because I heard anything bad. In fact, the opposite is true, I regularly hear about this gin and how good it is. Masons is the first gin to be distilled in Yorkshire and each bottle has a handwritten batch and bottle number on it – something possible due to runs of just 200 litres. Unveiled in 2015, the lavender edition features the intense but subtly sweet note of (you guessed it ) lavender. So, let’s see how it fares. Continue reading