Monthly Archives: October 2016

Clipstone Park (previously Sovereign Spirits) Gin Liqueurs

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Since publication Sovereign Sprits has rebranded as Clipstone Park.

Gin liqueurs don’t always get the attention they deserve in this juniper-crazy market. Given the number of new gins coming to the market every week, perhaps it isn’t surprising that gin liqueurs can get overlooked, but they offer something just as special as their more alcoholic counterparts. A good fruit liqueur drunk neat makes a wonderful warming winter tipple, or can be lengthened into a refreshing summer spritzer, added to a G&T, a cocktail or a glass of prosecco.  The possibilities are endless.

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Hawthorn’s London Dry Gin

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It’s always good when a friend casually mentions that their brother-in-law makes gin. It’s even better when you find out that they don’t just play with primitive homemade gin but make real, proper award-winning gin! This is how I was introduced to Hawthorn’s London Dry Gin, but the real story is even more of a family affair.

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Mourning Mabel

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Remember Mabel? The marvellous 100-year-old we all took to our hearts when we read how she swore the secret to long life was drinking six gin-and-tonics a day. She declared: “I have two at lunchtime, one at tea-time with a biscuit, and then three more during the evening while I do my knitting. I swear the gin keeps me young!” She even calculated that, as it took her a week to get through a bottle, she had consumed 4,264 bottles since she started drinking! I am the bearer of bad news. I am mourning Mabel. Mabel is no more. For she never was.

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O Come Let Us Adore Gin: festive gifts

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I know it’s only October, but if you’ve got kids (as I do) they’re probably already writing their Christmas lists and what better way to get through the nagging than planning a few festive treats for yourself and your gin-loving friends? But why wait until the big day when you can start celebrating on December 1st with one of these amazing advent calendars!

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A Bimble Around The Bimber Distillery

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My father grew up in Acton but I’ve had no reason to return to his roots. Until now. At London’s Gin Festival I was lucky to meet Oscar Dodd, Brand Manager at Bimber Distillery, who invited me to visit their site in North Acton. After following the central line train tracks, which run incongruously though a peaceful cemetery, one descends into Park Royal Business Park; the largest in London occupying about 500 hectares. The park is home to McVitites and Heinz alongside a number of smaller industrial firms, as well as Amathus Drinks, Speciality Drinks and, of course, Bimber Distillery founded in August 2015.

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It’s Just Gin in The Juniper Club

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With the boom in gin showing no sign of abating, the number of subscription services continues to grow. There is now a wealth of choice in the miniatures market with five companies, including Gin Explorer and Little Gin Box, launching in 2016. Until recently though the Craft Gin Club, launched in January 2015, was the only gin subscription service offering full size bottles delivered to your doorstep. Now The Juniper Club is squaring up to them.

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Preview: The Epicurean

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As the public’s appetite for gin continues to grow, so do the number of events devoted to the tasting and consumption of the spirit. Junipalooza and Gin Festival (both in their third year) are two such events which are, quite frankly, a gin lover’s paradise. What they are not, however, are events to which to take your friends who do not share your juniper obsession. This is where The Epicurean may step in; an event which takes some of the best elements of both Junipalooza and Gin Festival but which celebrates a wide range of high-quality wine, beer, spirits and food.

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Tiger Gin

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There is, I think, a fine line between being brave and foolhardy, determined and bloody-minded. For better or worse, perhaps they are all necessary character traits to build a business and to succeed with spirits. There is, after all, a lot to get right when you launch a new gin: the branding; the bottle; the marketing; and the product itself of course. JJ Lawrence certainly got his teeth stuck in when he decided three years ago to follow his passion and produce a new luxury British gin and he didn’t let anything stand in his way.

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