It’s been a fairly quiet month for me – including a couple of magical weeks overseas – but there’s been plenty of new gin releases (and quite a lot of additions to my collection!) so read on to find out more…

Booze News

I think I probably missed most of this month’s news as I switched off on holiday but I did see that UK mixer company Lixir, and New Zealand’s East Imperial brand, have both sadly entered liquidation as tonic brands seem to struggle during gin’s downturn.

Meanwhile in Australia, co-founder Cameron Mackenzie has left Four Pillars Gin approximately one year after they sold the business to Lion and fellow co-founder Stuart Gregor also left on an extended sabbatical. Third co-founder Matt Jones appears to have remained with the company, as he announced Head of Production – Sarah Prowse – as Mackenzie’s successor.

New Gin Alerts

There is no shortage of new gins to share with you this month so let’s get on with it! Starting overseas, I’ve spotted two new releases which have definitely got me excited. Sweden’s Hernö Distillery have released Six Rivers Gin which they describe as “a tribute to Iceland’s natural landscapes” and was made in collaboration with the foundation of the same name, and France’s 44°N have released their first official limited edition – Miss Bigarade – described as “a love story with the ‘Bigarade’ orange blossom trees of the French Mediterranean landscape and the iconic Rose Centifolia”.

Closer to home, Foghouse have launched Orange Blossom Honey Gin and Portobello Road have released their Directors Cut No. 5 featuring more juniper from more locations including Wales’ Brecon Beacons, Macedonia, Tuscany, Serbia and Albania. Meanwhile Edinburgh Gin have not one but two new products; The Meadows Gin inspired by the cherry blossom trees in the city’s meadows park – exclusively available at Edinburgh Airport Boutique – and Tiramisu Gin, featuring cacao nibs, coffee beans, tonka beans, vanilla and hazelnuts and exclusively available to John Lewis partnership members.

My Month in Gin

August has been pretty quiet in terms of booze events but I did enjoy a magical couple of weeks in the Canary Islands and even found a distillery on my travels! Located on the north east coast of La Palma – the most northwesterly of the archipelago – on a steep cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Ron Aldea Distillery was first established on Gran Canaria in 1936 before relocating in 1969. I arrived too late for the official tour but the lovely staff let me have a little sneak peak inside to see where the team mill the locally grown sugar cane to release the green juice (or guarapo) from which Aldea Rum obtains its sweet, vegetal aromas and fresh, grassy notes. Naturally I also indulged in a little tasting before picking up a bottle and hitting the beach!

On my return home I also had the privilege and pleasure of joining the judging panel for The Gin Cooperative Awards. I can’t wait to find out who’s won what later this month.

Welcome to My Collection

I was very lucky to receive lots more lovely goodies in August! Thanks to Renais Gin for their handsome heritage giftset including a bottle of Domain Watson Chablis (from Alex and Emma Watson’s fathers’ vineyard), and also to Moatwood for a bottle of their gin made with wild-foraged starflower. And thank you to me for the beautiful bottle of Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru Tuscan Juniper Gin that I picked up in Duty Free (and that didn’t make it back to Blightly)!

Thanks also to Double Dutch for a selection of their mixers, to Athletic Brewing for a selection of their alcohol-free beers and to Vinca for samples of their new organic sparkling wine in a can. I also couldn’t resist picking up a copy of A Most Noble Water by Sipsmith’s Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller, a subscription to The Tonic Magazine, and a bottle of Ron Aldea‘s Familia rum – matured in French Oak barrels for 15 years – which was recently awarded an impressive 96 points at the IWSC 2024!

Catching Up and Looking Forward

If you haven’t already seen it, my latest column for Drinksbiz – in which I argue that the rum boom isn’t going to happen – is online now. As for September, that’s already looking busy with lots of judging and plenty of launches too. And don’t forget Negroni Week which is taking place from 16th to 22nd! Have a good one and see you on the other side!🍸🛎🛎