Monthly Archives: July 2016

Blackwater Navy Strength Strawberry Gin

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Now renowned for its salmon fishing and wonderful scenery, the Blackwater River in south-east Ireland was once at the heart of the Empire built on gin.  White’s of Waterford were, in the Victorian period, one of the largest importers of spices in the British Isles. Their vessels would return to Waterford from the far east with new teas, herbs and botanicals which would then be sent by steamer up the Blackwater River. They were landed at the pier in Cappoquin, barely a kilometre from today’s Blackwater Distillery.

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A Crafty Little Club for Gin Lovers

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With new craft distilleries opening every month, and existing distilleries increasing their portfolios, the number of gins on the market is growing exponentially.  But how does one keep up with so many new products?  How do you decide which one is good enough to invest in and which one isn’t worth your hard-earned pennies?  Sometimes when you’re spoilt for choice and short on time it’s just easier to let someone else do the hard work for you.  That’s where the Craft Gin Club comes in.

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Pothecary British Blended Gin

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Most of us have done it; criticised a product, declared we could do better and dreamed of making it big.  Few of us have the guts and wherewithal to give it a go, fewer still the talent to make it a success.  But two friends from Dorset have done just that and set the gin world alight.  In a true rags-to-riches tail, Lukasz Dwornik and Martin Jennings have, in little more than 18 months, gone from bemoaning the average gins on offer in their local pub to producing one of the most critically acclaimed British gins on the market.

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Small but Mighty; making gin at Half Hitch

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“Micro-Distillery”: the clue really is in the name but, nevertheless, I was surprised by quite how small Half Hitch‘s premises in Camden are.  From the exterior one can enjoy tantalising glimpses of the distillery in action.  Step inside and the first thing you are likely to notice is quite how small the distillery is; the room is barely large enough to swing the proverbial cat and is totally dominated by its beautiful copper still.  What’s left of the room is taken up by the considerably smaller vacuum still, a tasting bar and a lot of gin!  It just goes to show what you can achieve when you put your mind to it.

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