Come on, I know whisky is legion around here (and no worries, it will always be…), but sometimes, other spirited universes have to explored, and I am quite happy to take this trip!
Temperatures continue to rise (well… At least theorically ’cause the sky is pretty grey and cloudy today when I look at the window… But it’s not like I needed an excuse to write this piece…) and I was clearly craving for a refreshing G&T while waiting for Pokemon Go to finally be released… *Insert angry/impatient emoji here* thus started digging into my personal gin collection when I thought “Hey! Let’s share my juniper pick of the day on Instagram… Wait, no, let’s do better and write a full article on my go-to summer gins!” and here we are…
The first product from the recently opened Glasgow Distillery Company, in the city of Glasgow is Makar Gin, launched in 2014 and named after the Gaelic word for “poet” or “bard”. To make it, they use their copper pot still – affectionately called Annie – and seven botanicals, including juniper, angelica root, liquorice, coriander seed, lemon peel, rosemary, black peppercorns and cassia bark. Juniper-led, backed up by citrus and spice, with angelica and rosemary standing out on the palate and finish.
Small-batch, hand-crafted gin from the Gordon Castle along the River Spey, featuring botanicals grown in the estate’s Walled Garden. Mint, lavender and gooseberry are among the botanical selection, giving this crisp gin a floral, fresh palate.
Jawbox Gin claims to be Ireland’s first single estate gin, with the grain used to make the spirit coming from the Echlinville Estate. The distillers also use a combination of 10 botanicals to give the gin its flavour profile, including juniper, lemon, cubeb, angelica, coriander, cassia, orris root, grains of paradise, cardamom, liquorice root and Black Mountain heather.
First launched in July 2013, 5 botanicals are used to create this premium gin. Pinkster is the brainchild of Stephen Marsh, and is now distilled to the company’s own recipe by G&J before being hand-steeped in the raspberries that lend it both its pink hue and subtle fruitiness.
Shetland Reel Gin comes to us all the way from Unst, one of the Shetland islands! Made with a specially devised recipe featuring 8 botanicals, including juniper, coriander seed, orris root, cassia bark, citrus peel and apple mint grown on Unst. Light and refreshing, this is a wonderful gin for use in cocktails – try it in a Negroni to make the most of its bright, subtly sweet qualities.
Nordés Atlantic Galician Gin is a rather intriguing Spanish gin made with an Albariño-grape-based spirit, rather than your more commonly seen grain-based spirit, along with 12 botanicals including lemon peels, hibiscus, liquorice and eucalyptus. The result is a bold, floral flavour profile that would befit summer drinks and cocktails.
This is a limited edition expression from the lovely Edinburgh Gin folks – Seaside Gin! Making use of some intriguing Scottish ingredients from the coast, like seaweed, ground ivy, gorse flowers and scurvy grass (which sailors used to eat when suffering from scurvy for its precious Vitamin C), they’ve created a superb summer tipple capturing the essence of the seaside. Sweet with a subtle salinity and a touch of minerals too…
Unsurprisingly, Eden Mill “The Spirit of St. Andrew’s”, have released a Golf Gin! With added hickory, as well as lemongrass, imagine it’s been stirred with the finest wooden golf club and brings something of a spring day on the course to proceedings.
East London Liquor Company – Premium Gin Batch 01
The East London Liquor Company’s Premium Batch gins offer variations on their regular recipe – a rather exciting undertaking for such a new distillery! Batch 1 is once again made with 100% British wheat spirits and features a botanical selection of juniper berries, cassia bark, coriander seeds, angelica root, pink grapefruit peel, cubeb berries and Darjeeling tea
From Scotland’s first micro-distillery comes the Strathearn Heather Rose Gin, featuring the sweet, vibrantly floral combination of classic Scottish heather and delicate rose. An excellent Summer tipple when splashed in a G&T.
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