December was pleasingly peaceful in a professional sense, leaving me plenty of time to get on with everything that a family Christmas demands, but there’s still plenty to read about – including some booze news, new gin releases and a very honest review of Miracle at Henrietta – so what are you waiting for…?

Booze News

As always, it was another month of mixed news. On the one hand a new spirits venture led by Tom Nicolson, founder of The Oxford Artisan Distillery, is planning to submit a lease bid for the distillery’s original site following new owners Distill Ventures moving its operations to Yorkshire where they now produce Fielden English Whisky. Meanwhile Yorkshire’s Otterbeck Distillery sadly announced its closure on Instagram after four and a half years.

New Gin Alerts

Just three new releases caught my eye in December. First up is James May’s limited edition Asian Parsnip Turbo Gin said to combine “the excellence of Asian Parsnip with the heat of horseradish to deliver the best bits of Christmas lunch without the flatulence of sprout” and (sadly?) already sold out. Secondly, and in addition to a new peppermint liqueur, Audemus Spirits have released the third iteration of their Anne-Sophie Pic Gin crafted with Calabrian bergamot, juniper, roasted fig leaves and grilled buckwheat. And, last but not least, Tarquin’s have jumped on the No and Low train with their Cornish Dry Non-Alcoholic Spirit.

My Month in Gin

With 2024 drawing to a close I was delighted to join the judging panel for the Spirits Business Low & No Masters 2025. As is so often the case, it was a bit of a mixed bunch but there were some truly impressive offerings including quite a number which were new to me. You can check out the full results here.

Keen to do something Christmassy with my other half, I also treated us (or so I thought!) to an afternoon at Miracle at The Henrietta Hotel. However, as you might guess from the picture below, it didn’t quite live up to expectations!

A Christmas cocktail bar that has pop-ups worldwide, the London location was fully booked from the moment reservations went live in late September. Tempted by the promise of “kitschy holiday décor” and “professionally-developed cocktails” I was delighted when I snapped up a cancellation, but it could not have proved to be a bigger disappointment. Although the decorations were definitely OTT and the service was perfectly acceptable, there was no sense of hospitality at all, the atmosphere amounted to nothing more than loud piped Christmas music and the overpriced cocktails fell somewhere between below average and downright disgusting. Yes we made the most of the experience, but it’s nothing more than a Christmas cash-in and the mugs really are the best bit. Sadly I’ve heard exactly the same feedback from the Denver outpost too, although apparently they do at least get free popcorn to take away the taste of T-Rex’s terrible decomposing Christmas spirit.

Welcome to My Collection

In happier news I was treated to lots of delicious treats in December, including a limited edition bottle of Bathtub Gin’s collaboration with Kent-based ceramicist Harlie Brown, East London’s beautiful Burnt Faith Brandy and a stunning bottle of Sakari Sake paired with a cheese from Funky Cellar, as well as a copy of Classic Cocktails and Fancy Drinks with Angostura Bitters and a seasonal pair of socks from Everleaf non-alcoholic aperitifs!

Catching Up and Looking Forward

If you haven’t had a read yet, my latest column – All go for agave – is online now, as is a little piece I wrote about Dryad Gin for Hand Crafted Drinks Magazine. Looking ahead we may already be in January but I’m still firmly in a festive funk, so I’m not sure what the New Year will bring, but I imagine it’s time I start pondering my top ten gins of 2024!

Wishing you all all the best for the year ahead and even more so if you’re attempting Dry January. I, as you may have guessed, am not! 🍸🛎🛎