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.
Remember Mabel? The charming centenarian who hit the headlines after swearing the secret to long life was drinking six gin-and-tonics a day, but devastatingly died from alcohol poisoning after downing one too many bottles of free gin sent by kind-hearted distilleries? If not, you’re not alone. But I will never forget that cautionary tale, largely because the moral of the story was not to drink less gin. Hurrah!
Gin is booming. No question. But, apparently, not everyone is obsessed with gin. I know, I was surprised too! But there’s more to it than that. Pay close attention and there are rumours that rum will be the next big thing. Or indeed whisky, which seems more than plausible given the number of gin distilleries that are currently resting on their barrels. And, according to the Drinks Business, vodka is back on the bartenders’ radars too. So there is everything to play for. And they are all playing right into the hands of The Spirit Show who have recently launched The Spirits Society subscription service.
Limited edition gins are big news. Very big. But they can also be problematic; being expensive, risky and time-consuming for distilleries to bring to market. But that is where the newly launched That Boutique-y Gin Company comes riding gallantly to the rescue. That Boutique-y Gin Company, sister to the highly successful whisky company of the same name, is the world’s first independent gin bottler, taking secret unreleased projects and exciting experiments from distilleries in their purest form before bottling, labelling and marketing the products themselves.
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.
There’s no denying that we are in the midst of an unprecedented surge in the gin industry, with ever more distilleries responding to customer demand for trends such as seasonal gins and locally foraged botanicals. Now, I am not going to suggest that either the gin market or I am reaching saturation point, but you don’t have to look too hard to spot the same botanicals popping up time and time again. It is increasingly difficult to find something that genuinely intrigues and excites; something that is truly unique. But I believe I may have found it at The Spirit Show in the form of Caledonia Spirits.
The rise and rise of the gin subscription service has continued unabated in 2017 (as I predicted last year); Flavourly, better known as a craft beer club, are among the latest converts to the many and varied delights of gin. And, following in the footsteps of Craft Gin Club and The Juniper Club, we’ve also seen more companies take on the full-sized gin subscription market with the launch of One Time Gin, The Spirits Society and GIN GIN.
So, Valentine’s Day. It’s all a bit rubbish really, isn’t it? As much as we all like to be swept off our feet occasionally, special occasions dictated by guilt and commercialisation aren’t actually all that special, are they? But happily (especially for those of us who suffer from FOMO), that’s where the gin industry comes riding gallantly to the rescue. Everything looks much rosier from the bottom of a decent G&T (even, in some cases, the gin itself), so pick up a cracking bottle for the gin-lover in your life (and if that happens to be you, well, make it a good one), holler “Bottoms Up!” and ring that bell! It’s Valentines’ Gins; Gin A Ding Ding!
As our enthusiasm for gin soars, so too does the range of gin subscription services on offer. Last year, I reviewed no fewer than five miniature gin services that had been launched in the first half of 2016. And, in the last six months, there has been similar growth in the number of companies offering full-size bottles. But all these services have one thing in common. Yes, they deliver gin to your doorstep but that’s also where they all stop. If you’re not in, your box of ginny delights will, hopefully, be delivered to a trustworthy neighbour or, less ideally, returned to your local sorting office. Until now. Now there is a gin subscription service that will make it through your letterbox. And if, like me, you receive a lot of gin at home, that can only be good news!
A recent poll I ran indicted that only 8% of my Twitter followers intended to attempt Dry January, with the vast majority opting instead for a boozy Ginuary! However, with more and more so-called millenials cutting down their drinking in favour of a more healthy lifestyle and plenty of other reasons to decline a double G&T – pregnancy, designated driver duties, marathon training or simply a nasty hangover – there is increasing demand for booze-free adult-style drinks.
Gin A Ding Ding 