I began 2016 with a relatively well-stocked gin cabinet (compared to most) and no gin blog. And ended it with a, frankly, ludicrous amount of gin by anybody’s standards and a blog that is going from strength to strength and, more importantly, giving me (and hopefully you) a lot of pleasure. So thank you all for all your support in 2016.
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2016 has earned itself a pretty damning reputation and, largely, with good reason. But, politics and celebrity deaths aside, it hasn’t been all bad. And for gin it’s been pretty bloody good! Approximately 50 new distilleries opened last year, contributing to a total production of 528 million litres of gin and resulting in sales of over £1billion for the first time. The rise and rise of small-batch craft gin was the theme of the year, but the big story came right at the end, when the founders of the craft gin renaissance, Sipsmith, were sold to Beam Suntory, the world’s third-largest spirits company (and owner of Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Teacher’s and Courvoisier), for a reported £50million. Other significant deals included the sale of Spencerfield Spirit Company, producers of Edinburgh Gin, to Ian Macleod Distillers, and Liverpool Gin to Halewood International, the makers of Lambrini.
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One of the most anticipated openings this year has been that of The Distillery on Portobello Road, London, home to the gin of the very same name. I was blown away to receive an invitation to the opening night, and not just any invitation but a stunning box with ‘The Distillery’ emblazoned on top, containing a gilt invitation and empty bottle of Characterful Vodka to be filled up on-site on the night! And first impressions definitely lived up to expectation. The Distillery is located at the Ladbroke Grove end of Portobello Road, in an imposing building, proudly bearing the logo of Portobello Road Gin, and it promises an exceptional experience.
Rich, warming and slightly spicy sloe gin is, for me, the quintessential festive tipple. It is also the perfect beverage to have in your cabinet at this time of year; a highly versatile drink that can add Christmas cheer to any number of cocktails but is also deliciously comforting, and still rather special, served neat. I love making (and serving) my own sloe gin but it does require a little organisation and a lot of patience. And, although there are ways to improve the standard of your homemade sloe gin, there’s no guarantee of quality or consistency. If it’s quality you want, where better to go than to Sipsmith where the craft gin renaissance began, and where I also happened to begin my own gin journey.
Think of Switzerland and you probably think of chocolate, watches and cuckoo clocks. You probably don’t think of spirits. And yet Switzerland has a relationship with absinthe that rivals that of the UK’s with gin. Absinthe originated in Switzerland in the late 18th century and rapidly earned itself such a reputation for damaging public health that it was officially outlawed in 1910. The ban on the sale and production of absinthe wasn’t lifted until 1 March 2005, during which time the spirit had become the pride of local bootleggers!
It is not an easy task to keep up with the new distilleries, and new gins, being launched at the moment. Nor can it be easy, as a small batch distillery, to get your name out and your voice heard above the din of the competition. Some things help though: a good story; a beautiful bottle; a sell-out first batch! Avva Gin had all this, and more, as they wisely teamed up with The Juniper Club to become the gin subscription service’s second gin of the month in November 2016.
There’s always a must-have toy at Christmas that everyone is desperate to get their mitts on. This year, however, that item is a toy for adults, not children, and comes in the shape of a simple Christmas bauble. A bauble … filled with gin!
Gin-lovers rejoice! The Spirit Show, the UK’s first consumer show for the premium spirits market, is taking place in London next month, offering the perfect opportunity to pick up ideas and gifts for Christmas and New Year. Ticket holders will be able to take advantage of unlimited tastings of over 200 of the world’s finest rum, vodka, whisky and, of course, gin. In addition to this, everyone who attends will receive a limited-edition Spirit Show tasting glass, a meal voucher redeemable at the Street Food Village and a free download of the showguide and tasting notes app.
Recent years have seen the craft gin market grow exponentially. And the truth is that while some new gins are exceptional, many are not. And while many new gins embrace an ever expanding list of increasingly unusual botanicals, some work and some don’t. Some gins taste distinctive but many don’t. That doesn’t necessarily make them a bad gin of course, but without seeing the bottle some gins are just not that easy to identify, particularly when mixed with tonic water. It was this that Dale and Vicky McQueen wanted to address when they launched McQueen Gin. From the very beginning they were determined to create something different and distinctive. McQueen Gin was never going to conform.
I have a bit of a soft spot for Pothecary Gin; it was the first gin I formally reviewed, it comes from Dorset where my husband and I married, and its signature colour is my favourite too. It’s also a damn fine gin with a fascinating story behind it; a winning combination in my opinion. So you can imagine my delight when Pothecary collaborated with another local business, who produce another one of my favourite vices, and then asked me to review it!
Gin A Ding Ding 