Ian is stepping up to provide a foray into the world of Gin.
The line up so far:
Broker’s Gin
Description:
The distillery uses only traditional pot stills. Continuous distillation using column stills is more efficient and is used by the major brands, but pot stills are better for extracting maximum flavor from the botanicals in a traditional hand-crafted fashion.
The copper pot still used for producing Broker’s Gin was manufactured by John Dore & Co, long recognised as the finest still-maker in the world.
The base spirit for Broker’s Gin is triple-distilled pure grain spirit made from English wheat. The flavor is provided by ten natural botanicals, the primary one of which is juniper berries – as in all gins. The botanicals are steeped – soaked – in the base spirit in the still for 24 hours. This is the first part of the flavor-infusion process. The still is then fired up for the final, fourth distillation, which completes the process.
There is an underground spring beneath the distillery, which provides a source of soft, pure water.
Dried botanicals are sourced from all over the world and shipped to the distillery in sacks.
The botanicals used in Broker’s Gin and their sources are: Juniper berries, Coriander seed, Orris root, Nutmeg, Cassia bark, Cinnamon, Liquorice, Orange peel, Lemon peel, Angelica root
Appearance: Crystal clear, displays long legs on swirling, which then become droplets on the side of the glass.
Taste: Body is so thick it could be mistaken for an oil or glycerin when it hits your lips. A bracing mixture of licorice, juniper, citrus and the other spices rush headlong through the palate leaving a warm oily wake, mild tingling on the lips and tongue and a hint of juniper. Very clean, with a very interesting mixture of licorice and citrus notes. Slight warming burn on the way down. Finish has cream spinach notes and resin. For a high proof gin this stuff is remarkably smooth.
Citadelle
Description: The recipe for Citadelle Gin was developed by a distillery in Dunkirk in 1771. Dunkirk was one of the first ports of call in Europe for many explorers sailing back from the Orient, whose ships were laden with exotic herbs and spices.
Citadelle gin is triple-distilled from wheat and spring water. Before being steeped in neutral alcohol, the botanicals are carefully selected and then placed in a specific bag. This infusion is then distilled to capture each separate aroma, so that the intermingled, complex flavors can develop independently.
Citadelle gin offers a subtle bouquet, with aromas of juniper and citrus. It is elegant, soft, and smooth on the palate. It has a long aftertaste which expresses its aromatic complexity to the fullest. At 44° – 88 proof, Citadelle gin is perfectly balanced between intensity and finesse.
The botanicals listed are: savory, nutmeg, angelica, cumin, cinnamon, almond, iris root, juniper, fennel, violet root, paradise grain, orange peel, cardamon, star anise, cubeb, coriander, lemon peel, cassia, and licorice.
Dry Fly
Description: They start out with their excellent vodka as a base and then use a blend of the usual suspects of juniper and coriander, with lavender (I’ve seen that before in a couple), along with mint, dried Fuji apples, and hops – which is something no else we know of has attempted.
Appearance: Clear and bright with a touch of oiliness/viscosity to the body, good long legs. When it is chilled it takes on a wonderful thick glasslike appearance even when shaken.
First Impression: Juniper and lavender bouquet in the nose with a hint of coriander, but this is all overlaid with a intriguing blanket of apple and hops, giving it somewhat genever like aromas with the slight bite and tang of a nice mint.
Taste: Tastes more like a genever with citrus, lavender, and apples than a London Dry. Very complex, aromatic and wonderful. The taste was balancing act between the aromatic start, a very herbal / earthy middle and a dry finish with mint tones that make you look forward to more. Warming end but no burn. Delicious!
Soft water wheat, juniper berries, dried Washington apples, mint and hops
Tanqueray
For every 500 berries they claim to use about 20. Berries are from Tuscany. Other ingredients include grain, coriander and angelica root. For the first three distillations they use a continuous still system which means there is very little time between the steps. The fourth distillation is where the magic happens. The liquid is vaporized and infused with the hand selected botanicals inside “Old Tom”, an original still that survived through the air raids in 1941 and is called the “One shot”
Special Guest
We may be fortunate to have somebody in the know bring us a bottle of Organic Nation’s excellent gin.
