With autumn upon us things are picking up in the drinks trade as booze news, events and new releases all ramp up. Read on to find out what’s caught my and what I’ve been up to in September.

Booze News

In a couple of interesting developments, Scottish spirits firm William Grant & Sons has acquired Silent Pool, and Master of Malt has collaborated with Sainsbury’s to roll out a rotating range of craft gins – currently including Kyrö Gin, Hapusa Gin and Brighton Gin – that reflects ‘rapidly changing’ customer drinking trends in a selection of its stores. 

Congratulations too to all the winners of the The Gin Cooperative Awards 2023, especially Electric Spirit Co.’s Achroous Gin, which achieved Gold in both the Scottish Gin of the Year and London Dry categories, and to Martin Murray of Dunnet Bay Distillers (home to Rock Rose Gin) who won the Outstanding Contribution to Scottish Gin Award.

New Gin Alerts

There’s been no shortage of new releases this month but the ones that caught my eye are Blackeye Gin released by rugby greats Mike Tindall MBE and James Haskell, Stranger & Sons‘ Sherry Cask Aged Gin, York Gin‘s limited edition Mad Alice’s Bloody Orange Gin, Bullards Blackberry & Sloe Gin and Tipplemill London Dry Gin which has already secured a double gold at the 2023 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition!

My Month in Gin

I enjoyed the last of the summer sun celebrating my 17th wedding anniversary at Cocktails in the City. The cocktails turned out to be a bit of a mixed bunch, but some absolutely blew us away! Our joint favourites were The Mayor Of Scaredy Cat Town‘s Pasión del Sol featuring rum, mango purée and pineapple syrup served frozen in an edible (and surprisingly tasty!) cup with a pasta straw, and The Blue Bar’s Chios Vice City also served frozen and featuring Axia, coconut cream, olive brine, pineapple and much more! We also loved The Donovan Bar’s Melon Highball made with Sipsmith Gin, Bourne and Hollingsworth’s A Rose A Day Sgroppino and Black Cox Vodka and their delicious mature cheddar! It was my first time at Cocktails in the City and, although it’s all done and dusted for this year, I don’t think it will be my last!

I also had a wonderful evening celebrating the release of Bathtub Damson & Bay Gin, where we were treated to a selection of cracking cocktails – a sparkling Hedgerow Fizz, a Long Autumn Negroni, a Damson Martinez and a delicious Bay Sour – alongside a wonderful four-course meal and even a little scented candle-making! I was really impressed with the gin, which is like a smooth, fruity sloe gin but bottled at a full strength 43.3%, and it also was lovely to meet Sarah aka @cocktailsandotherstories in person!

Welcome to My Collection

Thank you to Bathtub Gin for their lovely goody bag including a bottle of Damson & Bay Gin and to Silent Pool for their wonderful 1 litre bottle of English Garden Expression, available exclusively in World Duty Free and Gatwick Airport. Thanks also to Nordés Gin and MPR Comms for this stunning cocktail kit and, last but certainly not least, to Puddingstone Distillery for one of just 400 bottles of Box Moor Gin, created using juniper from a single bush grown on The Box Moor Trust estate (just 13 miles from the distillery) alongside British coriander seed, British angelica root, orris powder and fresh cut lime.

I was also delighted to receive a selection of Artisan Drinks mixers and an awesome poster, a selection of Long Tail mixers and matching miniatures, and (recently B Corp-certified) MOTH’s delicious canned cocktails to help me celebrate Negroni Week in style and simplicity. And, finally, congratulations (and thank you) to Anthony Gladman on the publication of Gin A Tasting Course, which I can’t wait to get stuck into.

Catching Up and Looking Forward

Looking ahead to October I am very excited – and a little nervous – to announce that I have joined a drinks trade magazine as their spirits columnist! I’ll be sharing my first piece very soon but, until then, be sure to pop Scottish Gin Day (7th October) and International Gin and Tonic Day (19th October) in your diaries and, if you’re in the capital, don’t forget London Cocktail Week will be taking place from 12th to 22nd October. With a distillery trip and the IWSC Awards Celebration in my diary too it looks like another busy month. See you on the other side!🍸🛎🛎