Wowsers, May was one hell of a month! Read on to catch up with everything I’ve been up to and also a few of the most exciting new gin releases.

Booze News

Unsurprisingly my month was dominated by #GinADayMay so forgive me for missing out on the real booze news! Below is a little recap of my contribution to the social media challenge, but really I want to thank everyone else who took part this year – and made it the fun and engaging event it is – posting almost 4,000 images (and countless more reels and stories) over the course of the month!

New Gin Alerts

There were so many new releases in May I’ve selected just a few of my favourites to share. In the blue corner, we have two new celebrity gins – Brad Pitt’s The Gardener Gin created with the super talented Tom Nichol, and Margot Robbie and friends’ Papa Salt Coastal Gin – alongside two stalwarts of the industry; Bombay Sapphire and their Premier Cru Tuscan Juniper Gin and Salcombe Gin’s Start Point Offshore Strength.

Don’t write off the red corner though, with Four Pillars’ Bloody Pinot Noir Gin, Never Never Pink Pepper Gin, and also Citadelle Rouge which is infused with fresh cranberry, raspberry, blackberry, blackcurrant, and rhubarb.

My Month in Gin

My month kicked off with a marvellous evening celebrating ten years of The Gin Guild in the stunning surroundings of the Guildhall. Despite my best intentions I hardly took any pictures, but it was wonderful to see Sky Wave founders Andrew and Rachel – and Edelwhite Gin’s creator Barb – installed as members of the Guild, and also to catch up with the great and the good of the industry.

I also popped down the road for the launch of a very special collaboration between two of my local drinks producers; 40FT Brewery and East London Liquor Company. The event was a rare opportunity to try their Single Malt Whisky made using 40FT’s stout mash bill and fermented, distilled and aged for five years in a Sonoma Bourbon cask at ELLC. With just 47 bottles in existence, 40FT and ELLC decided to allow as many people as possible to try the liquid by selling it only by the dram. Don’t panic if you missed out though – plans are afoot to drop one bottle of whisky at a different cocktail bar in London each fortnight where 40ft x ELLC boilermakers will be served until the bottle runs dry!

Welcome to My Collection

So many goodies this month! Thank you to Bathtub Gin for a bottle of their brand new Persian Lime & Orange Blossom Gin, to Kilmartin Spirits for their new plastic-free bottle, to Mallard Point for their reusable/returnable aluminium bottle and to Renais for their stunning bottle packaged in fully biodegradable and super sustainable mycelium. Thanks also to Orkney Gin Company for their new vodka, to Colonsay for their Brammer Aperitif, and to ISH Spirits for a huge selection of their non-alcoholic offerings. And last, but certainly not least, thanks to David T Smith for a copy of his and Keli Rivers’ Martini book and a bottle of his cracking Coronation Gin, and to my nephew for bringing back a bottle of Four Pillars Summer Sydney Maker Gin all the way from Oz!

Catching Up and Looking Forward

June is set to be just as busy as May – if not even more so – with Gin Masters judging, the Gin Guild’s Ginposium (at which I’m speaking – eek!), World Gin Day, Junipalooza, World Martini Day and Positive Spirits; a new event celebrating sustainable drinks. If you’d like to attend, enter discount code GINADINGDING10 here [affiliate link] to get 10% off your Positive Spirits ticket, and maybe I’ll see you there! 🍸🛎🛎