Wow, what a month that was! I really hoped #GinADayMay would be a bit of a fun but I had no idea how many of you would embrace my little idea so wholeheartedly and I’m absolutely chuffed to bits you did!
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Wow, what a month! I knew #GinADayMay would keep me busy but I didn’t expect it to be quite that bonkers. And then there were the gin releases, gin events and gin deliveries… Read on if you, like me, need a bit of a reminder of what happened this May.
“Bold” is the operative word where Turncoat Gin is concerned. Terry Langton, their founder and head distiller, refuses to cut corners in pursuit of each new recipe (he blames his years working in beer!), and each finished product is always striking in its originality. I was blown away by their Cascade Gin when I first met Terry at Catford Gin Festival in 2017 and when I saw him again at the same festival (albeit in a rather grander venue) last year, Terry returned with not one, not two, but three new gins; the citrusy Our Man in Sicily; the delicate and floral Dragon Tears (featuring the top buds of the jasmine tea plant); and my personal favourite, the spicy Bold St. Chai.
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Well, April was supposed to be a healthy month after the birthday indulgences of March but, between the school holidays and some exciting new gin releases, things didn’t exactly go to plan! Read all about it below.
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For a true gin-lover, Sipsmith require no introduction, and it won’t be long before their new Orange & Cacao Gin needs none either; it’s that good! After 10 years in the business, and with plenty of competition in the craft spirit category, Sipsmith are still undoubtedly leading from the front. I’ll be amazed if anything pushes this latest member of the family out of my Top Ten this year!
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I love gin, and I want to promote and protect it, but sometimes it all feels like it’s become a little bit serious. So I’ve come up with a fun idea that I hope will encourage collaboration, communication and creativity. The idea is a social media challenge called #GinADayMay and I really hope you’ll all join in!
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It is testament to the enduring appeal of, and fascination with, whisky that Whisky Live has been running for 19 years and is now held in over 25 countries. And it’s a measure of the extent to which gin has shot to prominence in recent years that, on 29 and 30 March 2019, the first Gin Live London shared the bill with its well-heeled forebear. Both festivals were held in the stunning grounds of the Honourable Artillery Company; considered the second oldest military corps in the world and, today, a registered charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm” … [insert Brexit joke here]
Between celebrating a big birthday and despairing over (what I like to call Bloody) Brexit, March has been a seriously boozy month for me! So when better to start my new gin monthly column? The idea is to have a personal round-up of what has caught my eye and tickled my tastebuds this month. It’s a bit of a work in progress, so I’d love to hear your feedback below about what you like, what could be improved, and which gins you’ve enjoyed this month.
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It’s hard to believe that Twelve Keys is not yet a year old. When they launched at Junipalooza in June 2018, founder Matthew Clifford, and his wife Alex, presented a polished product that was undoubtedly one of the stand-out spirits at the festival. Since then it has cropped up time and again in gin bloggers’ best gins of the year, including my own, and with very good reason.
When I was planning my trip to Junipalooza last year, Koval wasn’t particularly high on my list. But I got drawn to that beautiful laser-cut label and then couldn’t resist a sample either. And as I tasted both their Dry and Barrelled Gin, and learnt more about Koval, I got more and more drawn in, for theirs is a pretty impressive story.
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