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
gin and tonic
6 O’Clock Brunel edition gin
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.
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 – 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 – Hayman’s London Dry Gin
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.
Ginvent 2017 – 6 O’clock Gin
Happy Day 6 of Ginvent! Today we’re sampling 6 O’clock gin… which I’ve tried already (review here). So that’s today’s post nice and simple. Also, did you see what they did there? Day 6 is 6 O’clock Gin. Clever.
A bottle of 6 O’clock gin is currently on Master of Malt for £31 and you can find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Ginvent 2017 – Stirling Gin
It’s day 2 of Ginvent and today’s treat is Stirling gin. I’ve actually already tried this and because I’m lazy you can read about it here.
Currently a bottle of Stirling gin will set you back £32.37 (on Master of Malt at time of writing) and you can find Stirling gin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.