Death’s Door Gin

Cellars: £50.50

NOSE: Aromas of cream, wheat, brown sugar, liquorice and delicate peppery spices.

PALATE: Supple, satiny entry to a dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body with citrus and peach custard and herbal juniper notes.

FINISH: Finishes with a vibrant anise seed, citrus marmalade on sweet wheat cracker, and white pepper fade finish.

Serving Suggestion

On its own over ice or with a premium tonic water.

Country: USA

Region: Washington Island - Wisconsin

Producer: Death’s Door Distillery

Style: London Dry

Status: Small Batch

Allergens: Not known

Bottle size: 70cl

abv:  47.0%

Distillery Information

The gin’s name, “Death’s Door” was taken from the body of water between Door County peninsula and Washington Island from which the team get their organic hard red winter wheat. Potowatami and Winnebego tribesmen originally named the waterway, while the French called it Port de Morts (the port of the dead) when trading in the area to ward off other traders.

Death’s Door Gin has a surprisingly simple botanical mix of organic juniper berries, coriander and fennel. Using juniper berries that grow wild on Washington Island with coriander and fennel sourced from within the state, Death’s Door Spirits is able to showcase how complementary and complex simple expressions can be.

Washington Island was once known for its potato farming. Washington Island "spuds" made their way around the world for their quality and flavour. However, in the early 1970's, vertical integration in the potato industry left Washington Island without contracts to grow its crops. Without customers, island farmers stopped planting and instead switched to other jobs that were either more tourism-based or moved off the island to find a livelihood elsewhere.

Fast forward to 2005, a small group of like-minded people began exploring reinvigorating farming on Washington Island. Armed with enough seed to plant 5 acres and enough know-how to get it done — brothers Tom and Ken Koyen began growing wheat on the island. What started as wheat to use as flour at the Washington Island Hotel has grown into a select specialty grain for use in Capital Brewery's Island Wheat Ale and all of Death's Door Spirits products.

Since 2005, Death's Door Spirits and Capital Brewery have supported the farmers' efforts on Washington Island to expand the acreage of hard red winter wheat from five (5) to 1,200.

SUPPORTING LOCAL AGRICULTURE

The focus from the beginning was to support local and sustainable agriculture on Washington Island. Historically, Washington Island was known for its potato farming but since the 1970s most of these fields sat fallow. In 2005, agriculture once again returned to the island in the form of five acres of hard red winter wheat. Now nearly 1,000 acres of wheat are grown on the island.

In addition to the wheat, the barley utilized in the gin, vodka and whisky and is grown in Wisconsin in partnership with other farmers. The botanicals for the gin (juniper, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds) are sourced in the state when possible. In fact, the company has an annual juniper harvest festival on Washington Island whereby guests pick wild juniper berries.

Aviation Dry Gin

Cellars: £39.00

NOSE: Very clean and all on the juniper. Beautiful lavender flavours, and citrus, with sweet grains and earthiness.

PALATE: Creamy rich texture. Spicy and oily in feel, floral notes and the strongest juniper flavour you'll ever experience.

FINISH: Long and extremely clean. Lasts for hours!

Serving Suggestion

With a premium tonic water served over ice

Country: North America

Region: Portland

Producer: House Spirits Distillery

Style: Small Batch

Allergens: Not known

Bottle size: 70cl

abv:  42.0%

Distillery Information

How two innovators, Prohibition, and juniper, lead to the first American craft gin.

At a party in Seattle in 2005, bartender Ryan Magarian was introduced to "summer gin" by a friend from Portland. Struck by the subtlety of gin with less juniper, he recognized it as a movement away from traditional gin. Ryan had a growing interest in classic, pre-Prohibition cocktails, where the spirit is central and never masked, and this gin had the potential to be the perfect complement.

He set off for Portland to meet the distiller.

Equally passionate about his craft, Christian Krogstad founded a craft distillery in Portland, Oregon. With a pioneering spirit, Christian had set out to recreate a uniquely American Gin. But American gins disappeared with Prohibition, so no one knew exactly what they tasted like.

Without a precise flight plan, the first bartender/distiller partnership took off. Through repeated trial and experimentation with 7 botanicals, Ryan and Christian finally landed on a democratic blend with juniper in the background. Like all successful partnerships, none is overpowering or masking, but each plays a part in bringing out the best in all. Aviation, a gin created to be so balanced and smooth, it can complement any cocktail or even fly solo.

PRODUCTION

Every bottle of Aviation Gin is handcrafted in small 100-case batches by a small, dedicated team of master distillers in Portland, Oregon.

Like the world's finest gins, Aviation is distilled using a proprietary maceration process that produces a pure medley of botanical flavours

It all starts with the precise blend of botanicals, sourced from around the world cardamom, coriander, French lavender, anise seed, sarsaparilla, juniper, and two kinds of orange peel. The botanicals are placed in nylon sacks and suspended in a pure, neutral grain spirit for 18 hours in macerating tanks.

DISTILLATION

The macerate is then pumped into a stainless steel still along with pure water. Steam jackets heat the macerate, the vapors go into a shotgun condenser, come into contact with the cold water, and the distillate forms.

THE CUT

In a meticulously monitored process, the first fluid leaving the still, the "heads," is removed. Collecting the "heart of the spirit" throughout the run, the distillers then determine the end of the cycle and make the final cut, "the tails." This process takes approximately 7 hours and at this point, the "heart cut" is 142 proof.

BLENDING & BOTTLING

The "heart cut" is transferred to a blending tank where pure water is added, bringing the gin to the desired 84 proof. It then goes into a bottling tank with a 6-sprout gravity filler and pumped into bottles.

Labels, caps, and cap strips are all applied by hand. A craft production from beginning to end,

Aviation is then ready to pack and ship.

Fifty Pound Gin

Cellars: £36.25

On the nose is juniper (pine) and citrus (lemon) with a slight spicy (coriander) perfume. On the palate this soft and subtle medium bodied spirit, gives a balanced taste of juniper, citrus and spice with earthy sweet notes, we also found some mint here too. The smooth oily dry and long warming finish has herbal and faint floral notes, with citrus (orange) belaying its complexity. A very nicely balanced Gin.

NOSE: On the nose, it’s classic in character, with a predominant bouquet of juniper and coriander, balanced by its citrus and spice notes.

PALATE: On the palate Fifty Pounds Gin is smooth but complex, opening with juniper, but followed by the citrus constituents, and a hint of spice and earthiness.

FINISH: A long, fresh finish, that’s clean, dry and with a touch of heat

THE IDEAL SERVE

It’s ideal to be mixed with tonic or to star in a dry Martini garnish with a thin slice of orange or a   twist of orange peel – but can also be enjoyed neat.

Country: England

Region: London

Distillery: Timbermill Distillery

Producer: Thames Distillers Ltd - Clapham

Style:  London Dry - Small Batch

Allergens: Not known

Bottle size: 70cl

abv:  43.5%

Distillery Information

History

Thames Distillers is run by Charles Maxwell who is the 8th generation of the family (founders of the Finsbury Distillery) who have been producing Gin since 1700 – making them the oldest unbroken lineage in Gin distillation.

This Gin was launched in 2009 and late 2010 in the USA.

With Gin production in the UK exempt from any tax during the late 1600’s and early 1700’s, there was widespread consumption of this spirit. It reached a stage where Gin was the cheapest drink around where people in London could become inebriated for pennies, and often were - this period in time became referred to as the “Gin Craze”. The British Government had to do something to combat this rising anti-social epidemic and so introduced the Gin Act of 1736. This law prohibited the production of Gin except under licence. The cost of this licence was the princely sum of fifty pounds, equivalent to $130,000 US dollars today - no wonder only 2 distilleries ever paid this levy!

The Maxwell family concocted a Gin recipe at this time, it being ironically called “fifty pounds” after this tax. Although not used since, this recipe has been given a new leaf of life by Thames Distillery.

Some say gin originated in Italy, the British owe it all to Holland in the 17th century. At that time, gin was sold in Dutch shops as a medicine to treat ailments such as stomach complaints and gallstones, and flavoured with juniper, a berry said to have its own medicinal properties. In Dutch, juniper is known as jeneverbes, which gave the “medicine” its Dutch name, jenever. British troops fighting the Thirty Years war in the Low Countries were given warming tots of jenever to ward off the effects of the damp conditions. This process gave us the expression “Dutch courage”, and saw British troops reduce the name from jenever to gin.

When William of Orange took the English throne in 1689, he encouraged the rise of British distillation, passing a series of statutes that restricted imports and made it far easier to produce alcoholic spirits. All too frequently, however, this resulted in spirits of very dubious quality. Gin consumption boomed across the nation, particularly among the poor. It became so popular, in fact, that gin sometimes formed part of a worker’s wages.

By 1730, London alone had over 7000 spirit shops: some reports suggest that gin was distilled and sold in as many as one fifth of all London homes. This excessive and uncontrolled consumption – known as the Gin Craze – provoked a rapid degradation of society. Something had to be done to curb this “social evil”.

That’s why, under the reign of George II, the 1736 Gin Act was introduced. Its aim was to restrict production and the sale of gin by imposing an annual levy of £50. By the time the act was repealed in 1742, only two distilleries had agreed to pay this tax

Production

Fifty Pounds Gin is produced in the south-east of London, at a small, celebrated distillery with more than two centuries of tradition behind it, with a beautiful still manufactured by the legendary John Dore & Co Limited.

The base spirit is distilled four times from grain. The botanicals are steeped in this base spirit for a minimum of two days, placed into the still, along with premium neutral grain spirit and water. They are left to macerate for a short time, and then the stills are turned on, heating them gently via hot water jackets, to avoid scalding the botanicals.

This entire process takes around five hours at which point the liquid is split into three sections, the head, heart and tails, only the heart is used

The final distillation is in small batches, using a 100-year old pot still made by John Dore & Co. It is filtered three times and then left to rest for a minimum of three weeks, which allows the botanicals’ essentials oils to blend perfectly with the grain spirit. The final step towards achieving this precious gin is to balance the distillate obtained with the same type of neutral alcohol, together with demineralised water, to achieve the perfect balance and alcohol content.

Botanicals Used

11 botanicals are used, including: angelica root (Western Europe), coriander seed (Middle East), grains of paradise (East Africa), juniper berries (Croatia), lemon peel (Spain), liquorice, (Italy), orange peel (Spain) and savory (France). The other three botanicals are kept a closely guarded secret.

Juniper Berries: from Croatia Without juniper, it’s not a gin. It’s as simple as that. Ours comes from the hills of Croatia, to impart the classic gin profile and aroma, with traces of pine.

Coriander Seeds: from the Middle East, Perhaps surprisingly, it’s coriander which gives Fifty Pounds Gin some of its citrus notes. Coriander also accentuates the gin’s exotic flavours, spicy hints, and freshness.

Orange & Lemon Peel: from Spain, most of the citrus comes from lemon and bitter orange peel, which is sourced from Spain. These create a subtle balance between Fifty Pounds’ citric aromas and flavours, and enhance the gin’s superb dryness.

Angelica Root: from Western Europe. This brings a slightly earthy, spicy note to the gin but, more importantly, acts as a fixative, “glueing” together with the oils from the other botanicals.

Savory: from the South of France Savory has a delicate aroma, with traces of mint. It’s what gives Fifty Pounds its extra freshness and hedgerow notes

Liquorice Powder: from Calabria in Southern Italy, adds delicate, woody and bitter notes and also acts a smoothing agent.

Grains Of Paradise: The Gulf of Guinea, Western Africa, is where Grains of Paradiseare from The variety used is rare and hard to source, but it’s worth it for the subtle, peppery flavour with hints of lavender it imparts.

Gordon Castle Gin

Cellars: £39.50

NOSE: Clean with citrus and juniper noticeable, but nicely balanced.

PALATE: When neat: Crisp, very light and delicate. Mint and lavender coming through, touch of sweetness on the finish

With tonic (one part gin to two parts Fever Tree): Refreshing and very easy going. Fairly balanced, loses the mint with the fruitiness shining through.

THE IDEAL SERVE

Serve as a classic martini with a sprig of mint or with tonic with lemon, lime and mint garnish.

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside, Fochabers, Morayshire

Distillery: The Walled Garden

Producer: Gordon Castle Estate

Style:  Small Batch

Allergens: Not known

Bottle size: 70cl

abv:  40.0%

Distillery Information

Small-batch, hand-crafted gin from the Gordon Castle along the River Spey, featuring botanicals grown in the estate's Walled Garden. Mint, lavender and gooseberry are among the botanical selection, giving this crisp gin a floral, fresh palate.

Tasting Note: The Gin is crisp elegant and refreshing with a lovely clean palate. Subtle notes of lavender linger at the back of the nose and within the mouth. Garden mint comes into focus on the nose and in the mouth helping promote the clean refreshing character. Warming herb notes add to the richness and complexity of the gin.

The huge Victorian walled garden, 8 ½ acres the largest walled garden in Scotland,  at Gordon Castle is in the process of being renovated and redeveloped, with a masterplan by acclaimed garden designer Arne Maynard.

Red Door Gin

Cellars: £31.50

Elegantly simple, beautifully balanced, shows signature notes of Juniper and citrus bites of bitter orange, with aromatic sea buckthorn, grassy floral pearls of heather, chocolate and rowan berries

THE IDEAL SERVE

Serve with a premium tonic water tonic and garnish with a few raspberries.

Country: Scotland

Region: Forres, Morayshire, Scotland

Producer: Benromach Distillers

Style:  Dry, Small Batch

Allergens: Not known

Bottle size: 70cl

abv:  45.0%

Distillery Information

Peggy - the still

A hand made copper still, using the vapour-infused method, steaming the base spirit through the botanicals producing a delicate gin.

THE BOTANICALS

JUNIPER - The foundation of all gin, Punchy, piney and fresh tasting

PEARLS of HEATHER - impart a grassy and floral note.

CORIANDER SEEDS - gives a zesty spicy flavour.

SEA BUCKTHORN - Aromatic sea buckthorn, fresh and fruity.

ROWAN BERRY - Found in the local forests, a delicate flavour with subtle chocolatey smoky overtones.

LEMON RIND - Crisp and clean, a zesty balance.

BITTER ORANGE PEEL - Tart and tangy for a bittersweet taste.

ANGELICA ROOT - Earthy flavours, the essential bite with a lingering aftertaste.

Rock Rose Gin

Cellars: £39.00

NOSE: Very perfumey, earthy, fruity and floral tones vie for attention. Punchy, lifted and pronounced. Almost like potpourri.

TASTE: When neat:    All sweetness and creaminess with that added perfume punch, the earthy tones just beginning to come through like little wisps.

With tonic   (one part gin to two parts Fever Tree) and garnish (orange peel):

A far cleaner flavour. The bitterness of the tonic still noticeable but not overpowering the gin. There’s a nice balance. The orange garnish works well but does sweeten it ever so slightly.

THE IDEAL SERVE

Serve as a classic martini

60ml Rock Rose
15ml Dolin dry Vermouth
One dash of orange bitters and garnished with a lemon twist

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside, Fochabers, Morayshire

Producer: Dunnet Bay, Distillers

Style:  Small Batch

Allergens: Not known

Bottle size: 70cl

abv:  41.5%

Distillery Information

Named after one of their rare botanicals the “Rhodiola rosea” which is very difficult to find but grows on the cliffs of Caithness. The Rock Rose is famed for its confirmed health benefits and was once sought after by the Vikings for its strength and vitality. It seems that Britain’s most northerly mainland distillery, Rock Rose use an increasingly unique distilling process which infuses 18 botanicals, of which 5 are grown locally. Perhaps most interestingly, they use both traditional Italian and Bulgarian junipers which are blended together to create a unique juniper taste for their gin.

THE BOTANICALS

Juniper Berries:  Juniper is the predominant botanical, otherwise it just wouldn’t be gin! Selected from two different countries.  Both junipers are subjected to a vapour infusion process and the Bulgarian juniper gives lemon sherbert notes, whilst the Italian juniper gives a real warmth and depth to the flavour of the gin.

Rhodiola rosea : Locally harvested Rhodiola rosea, perhaps more commonly known as rose root, which is a plant that grows in colder climes -  ideal for the fresh breezes of Caithness.

Over a thousand years ago, the Vikings would harvest Rhodiola rosea from the wild exposed cliffs. This was thought to give them the extra strength to continue on their long arduous journeys.

Only the root of the plant, which has the most wonderful rose aroma and adds a delicate floral note is used.

Sea Buckthorn: Sea Buckthorn is a silvery leafed shrub that grows along the coastline and produces clusters of vibrant orange berry-like fruit, soft, juicy and rich in oils. The fruit is highly celebrated for its high vitamin C content, around 15 times more than an orange!  Only the berries are used for their taste – gorgeously fruity yet crisp.

Rowan Berries; The deciduous tree, sometimes known as mountain ash, produces a brilliant red berry-like fruit. The tree is very much celebrated as a ‘hero’ in many mythology and folklore tales.

In Norse mythology the rowan was called the ‘Salvation of Thor’ as the Thunder God, Thor was once saved from drowning by a rowan branch. Incidentally our nearest town, Thurso, was named after Thor!

It has also been known as a ‘tree of protection’ and its position and branches used against witchcraft.

The red fruit imparts a delicate flavour adding to the berryful taste!

Other Botanicals; Other flavourful botanicals include blaeberries, cardamon, coriander seed and verbena to name but a few!