I thought I’d kept the diary pretty clear with the kids off school for the Easter holidays but somehow April still turned out to be pretty busy with plenty of writing, a little judging, a couple of launches and a couple of distillery visits. Read on to hear all about them, plus the usual booze news and new gin alerts!
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Christmas means cocktails and never more so than after the year we’ve had! So get mixing and raise the spirits of everyone in your bubble with these brilliant beverages.
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With countless new releases, more gin judging and my debut in Gin Magazine it’s been a pretty good month for me. So here’s a little recap on what I’ve been up to, and some booze news and new gin alerts you may have missed, as we hurtle head first into the festive season!
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I could have sworn I’ve hardly left the house recently (the last few months have really caught up with me lately) but the joy of writing this column is remembering the fun I have had as well as some of the more positive booze news and interesting new gin releases. As we head into yet more lockdowns do try to keep your chin up and your gin in moderation!
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As I find myself stumbling blindly into a new year (and a new decade no less) with no idea what day it even is, attempting to recall what happened last month is proving to be something of a mission impossible, but here’s my best shot… Feel free to fill in any blanks in the comments below!
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Now celebrating its fifth year, Junipalooza London promised to be bigger and better in 2018 than ever before. And it did not disappoint! With over 70 distilleries, literally hundreds of gins, the inaugural newcomer tasting zone and four experiential rooms, Junipalooza was set to burst out of the confines of the beautiful ground floor of Tobacco Docks.
Boozy advent calendars have to be the best addition to the Christmas festivities since a stuffed stocking first appeared at the foot of your bed! And, better still, 2017 has seen the line-up grow larger than ever. From rum and bourbon to absinthe and mezcal, there is something for every spirit lover. There’s even a Naga Chilli Vodka Escalation Advent Calendar with each of the twenty-four daily drams of vodka increasing in heat from 10,000 to 240,000 scovilles! But one of the newest additions to the market, and almost certainly the most beautiful, is That Boutique-y Gin Company‘s first ever Advent Calendar.
Limited-edition gins were predicted to be big in 2017 and, just four months in, that certainly seems to be the case. However, producing and marketing such experimental gins can be an expensive gamble; one that, despite potentially offering great rewards, is often too risky for micro-distilleries to attempt single-handed. Increasingly, distilleries are turning to a third party to help produce their limited-edition gins by spreading their risk and providing a platform to market the end product.
One Time Gin have changed their subscription packages. For an up-to-date review please click here (November 2017).
With their first gin distilled on the stroke of midnight on 1st January 2017, One Time Gin launched as the UK’s only limited edition gin subscription club. Yes, there are a growing number of subscription services out there, but One Time Gin genuinely offer something no one else can, by collaborating with a different distillery every month to bring their members a truly limited edition gin that can’t be found anywhere else.
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.
Gin A Ding Ding 