blog

Sky Wave White Horse London Dry Gin

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

April 2024 Craft Gin Club boxOh hey there. It’s been a while. Isn’t it annoying when real life gets in the way of gin tasting on the internet? I received my March delivery from Craft Gin Club, but then had to go to LA to run a conference (I know right, it’s a hard life) and that kinda took over everything. But here I am getting back to normal. But enough about me, this gin comes from Sky Wave Distillery based in Oxfordshire and this edition – launched through Craft Gin Club – is inspired by the Uffington White Horse.

Sky Wave White Horse London Dry Gin

After visiting in the height of summer, founders Rachel and Andrew wanted to use local botanicals to create something new. Red clover flowers, cornflower petals and lavender team up with cardamom, ginger, lemon and orange to create a gin that has “bold juniper…with a light floral note”.

Sky Wave White Horse London Dry Gin neckOpening my bottle and I’m hit by juniper and something bright and green – I wasn’t expecting it to smell so herbaceous. In the glass you definitely get a waft of ethanol (the gin is 40% ABV), but luckily it doesn’t come across when you sip it. To taste it is definitely juniper led, with softer floral notes coming in at the end. You get some sharpness from the citrus, but it’s pretty well balanced. I hope this tastes as good with tonic as it does neat.

Sky Wave gin and tonicI’m using the supplied Navas tonic (but I refuse to do the 1:4 ration they recommend). I’m starting with equal amounts, and I’m glad I did. The bitterness from the tonic is obvious and has knocked out some of the gentler notes from the gin. However, the juniper still shines through and you get a nice warmth on the tip of your tongue from the ginger which lingers at the end.

Their Cocktail of the Month is a Cloud 9 – 50ml gin and 25ml syrup shaken with ice, then topped with Frobishers Apple and Elderflower. Now. The gin is nice. The fizz is nice. And yet the cocktail tastes of parma violets. I think as usual, the sugar syrup concoction doesn’t always actually add anything to the drink. I think the crisp apple mixer would be nice enough with the gin. It’s not terrible, but it’s not one I’m going to rush to recreate. I think sticking to a G&T or a martini is the way forward to enjoy this.

Sky Wave White Horse London Dry Gin is currently only available through the Craft Gin Club members’ shop for £40. If you want to get your hands on some, you can join via this link [note: if you use that link to sign up, you get a free taster box, and I get £10 off my next box).

You can find Sky Wave on Facebook, X and Instagram. Feel free to get in touch with me over on Instagram or X and let me know what you think.

 

Von Hallers gin

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

For today’s blog, we are travelling to Germany, specifically a town called Göttingen, to try Von Hallers gin. This town is known for their University – alumni include the Brothers Grimm – and the Old Botanical Garden. This was planted by Albrecht von Haller (aka the father of modern physiology) in 1736 and today contains over 14,000 species. Continue reading →

The King of Soho Copacetic vodka review

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

Note: I was sent this vodka free of charge to review here, but as always my thoughts remain impartial. 

King of Soho vodkaYou might have seen my recent post about The King of Soho gin, and today we are trying their vodka.

But Jenny, this is a gin blog!

Ok yes, that’s usually my vibe but isn’t it good to branch out? Find new interests? I’m growing as a person so go with it.

Continue reading →

The King of Soho gin review

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

Note: I was sent this gin free of charge to review here, but as always my thoughts remain impartial. There is also an affiliate link at the end which means I get a miniscule payment if you order gin via that link.

King of Soho ginI’ve seen The King of Soho gin around before – the blue bottle with gold lettering stands out on a back bar. I also have a feeling I might have tried it before in a pub, but this is the first time I’ve taken a proper look at it. Back in 2013, Alex Robson and Howard Raymond decided they wanted to make a gin to celebrate Howard’s father. Paul Raymond was known for his risqué shows in the heart of Soho, and they designed this spirit to be as vibrant as he was. Continue reading →

Kirkjuvagr Yuletide Gin

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

December Craft Gin Club boxIt’s the most wonderful time of the year….aka Christmas! And what does Christmas mean? It’s Craft Gin Club delivery time! This month’s bumper box contains a festive special edition of Kirkjuvagr gin. I have tried their Origin and Aurora gins in the past, and since then they’ve had a rebrand and have some rather stunning new bottles. Based on an island which is closer to the Arctic circle than it is London, their home is important to them. Not only are they inspired by their Viking ancestry, but they are also lucky enough to pick their own native angelica on the island. For this Christmas edition, they carefully selected Aronia berry (also known as the Viking berry) alongside festive spices cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Because it’s Christmas, they also add some frankincense and myrrh – although the only gold you’ll see here is on the bottle. To balance all the spices, they add rose hips and three types of rose – Burnet, Ramanas and Red roses.

Continue reading →

Botanic Cubical gin

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

Botanic ginThis bottle has been sitting on my shelf for a while as a gift from my former housemate (the one that organised gin judging awards). Hailing from one of the world’s most prestigious wineries, the Spanish Bodegas Williams & Humbert group, the gin is made in stills that are over 100 years old. The company was founded in 1877 and focused on making sherry and brandy, and in the 1960s moved towards making wine. Since then they have expanded to make a huge variety of products including gin, rum and vodka. The gin I am drinking today is made from high quality English grains, and distilled at the Langley Distillery in Birmingham to make a traditional London Dry gin. Alongside usual botanicals juniper, coriander seed, angelica root, orange and lemon peel, orris root and liquorice root, they also add almond shells, sweet orange, orange blossom, cassia bark, and Buddha’s hand lemon. Buddha’s hand is a variety of citrus fruit from Asia, shaped like a hand with a number of thin tendrils. It is less bitter than a traditional lemon, but with a lot of fragrance which makes it a great addition to cocktails.

Continue reading →

River Test Chalkstream Gold gin

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

March Craft Gin Club deliveryThis month’s Craft Gin Club is another special addition – luckily not a flavoured gin, but instead an award winning gin featuring a heritage botanical. Sarah and Jon set up The River Test distillery after attending a distilling course in 2017. On this course, they learnt about iStill, an innovative and fully automated still which uses less power than a traditional copper still. The team are based on a site of special scientific interest in Hampshire which means they are responsible for conserving the flora and fauna on their land.

The River Test Chalkstream Gold gin

Their commitment to the environment doesn’t end there. Their bottles are made of 55% recycled glass, and are made here in the UK to reduce their carbon footprint. They also invested in an electric van to carry out their local deliveries! Their original gin uses botanicals from their land – rosemary and bay grow in abundance, alongside their key ingredient: meadowsweet. Their original gin ended up winning Best London Dry Gin in England at the 2020 World Gin Awards, and when Craft Gin Club got in touch, they were up for a new challenge. For this version, they teamed up with a local farmer who introduced them to Maris Otter barley, a variety bred specifically for brewers and distillers. So, how does it taste?

Continue reading →

Gŵyr Rhamanta Redcurrant gin

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

Note: This gin was gifted to me by Sian and Andrew, but as always I’ll let you know what I think.

Gower Rhamanta Redcurrant ginHappy Valentine’s day! Last February, Gower Gin company launched their newest gin through the Craft Gin Club, a gin designed to be shared with the one you love. The Rhamanta gin features pomegranate seeds, red rose petals and pink grapefruit zest. For 2021 we have been treated to a limited edition version of Rhamanta which has been steeped in fresh redcurrants. Redcurrants are sharper than blackberries, but with an equal amount of sweetness. What I really like about the Rhamanta gin is that, despite the botanical list, it isn’t too sweet and brings a good amount of dry, tart citrus, so I think the added redcurrants will ensure it doesn’t become too sugary. As well as the added redcurrants, this is bottled at 40%, instead of 43%, and the label has been redesigned to feature the redcurrant plant. So, how does it compare?

Continue reading →

Redsmith Distillery gin

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

Note: Wayne from the Redsmith Distillery kindly sent me a bottle to try but I will let you know what I really think.

Redsmith ginRedsmith Distillery came about when founder Wayne decided to branch out from commercial heating and pipe fitting in 2013 into distilling. With an engineering degree, Wayne decided he would build his still from hand whilst studying at the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. In 2015, he finished building his still and gave it the name Jenny – whilst I’d love to say I inspired this, it’s actually named after ancestor who was married to a Cornish copper miner. The first batch of his London Dry style gin was ready for the public in May 2016, and in October of that year won the Gin of the Year award at the Craft Distilling Expo. Wayne uses nine botanicals in his one-shot gin, using juniper, coriander, fresh oranges, bay, cardamom, rosemary, orris, angelica and cassia – they then describe the taste as “leafy salad notes” which makes me intrigued to try it, but also wary as I don’t generally like my gin to taste of salad.

Continue reading →