Le Tribute gin

10 months ago • 0 comments • Gin, Spain • 0

Le Tribute gin has one of the most gorgeous bottles I’ve ever seen. It’s made by MG Destilerias, a family owned distillery founded in 1835 and situated just outside Barcelona in Spain. They began as producers of syrups and medicines, hence the apothecary style bottle. Their first gin, Gin MG, launched in 1940 and remains a strong seller in Spain. Spotting the rising gin boom, the family launched Gin Mare in 2007, to huge success (it’s certainly one of my favorites!).

Now the distillery has created Le Tribute – the LE is an abbreviation of Liquid Experience – gin, mezcal and tonic water.

I am fortunate to have someone who could bring me a bottle from overseas as it’s not readily available in Australia (yet!)

Le Tribute gin botanicals

Le Tribute gin contains; juniper, lime, kumquat, pink and green grapefruit, tangerine, cardamom, sweet and bitter oranges and lemongrass.

Distilling

MG Destilerias uses fractional distillation to make Le Tribute gin. This highly complex process involves distilling all the botanicals separately before blending them back together – Melbourne Gin Company also uses this method. Lemongrass is the only botanical distilled in water, creating a hydrosol, to retain freshness, while the others are distilled in neutral wheat spirit.

Tasting Le Tribute gin

Just by reading the ingredients you can tell this will be a citrus forward gin, but to be honest that’s an understatement! The juniper takes a back seat to the fresh, juicy citrus flavours that abound. They’ve even written ‘fresh’ on the label!

On opening the bottle the aroma of sweet orange blossom hits you before the other citrus powers through, I found grapefruit and tangerine the most dominant.

Flavourwise it’s a bold, full-bodied gin with a delicious citrus tang. I thought it was almost lemon sherbet-like. There are also herbaceous notes from the juniper and lemongrass.

This gin falls firmly into the ‘contemporary’ group of gins with a less juniper dominant flavour, but is a great example of taking the spirit to its furthermost boundaries.

Drinking Le Tribute gin

Le Tribute gin makes a great gin and tonic, but the bold citrus flavour means that it works just as well with soda water (good news for all the tonic haters). It’s so full of juicy citrus flavour that you really don’t need a garnish either, unless you want something pretty to look at!

It makes a deliciously dry martin – I used a 60/30ml ratio and garnished with orange peel and an olive. Why? Because sometimes I like both!

As you’d expect from a gin with strong citrus orange flavour, it was heavenly in a negroni, with the mandarin and bitter orange emboldened by the campari.

If you are looking for something a little different with a bottle to die for, Le Tribute would be a good choice!

ABV 43%

Country of Origin: Spain

Price: Medium

You can follow Le Tribute on instagram and Facebook

Hernö gins

11 months ago • 0 comments • Gin, Sweden • 0

Jon Hillgren, owner and distiller of Hernö gins headed off for London in the late ’90s to become a bartender. It was while learning his craft that he fell in love with gin and returned to Sweden with dreams of opening a gin distillery. Supported by friends and family he realised this dream in 2011 when Hernö Distillery became the first gin distillery in Sweden. It’s a real family affair. Both Jon’s parents work at the distillery (up until recently, his mum used to number each bottle by hand) as does his twin sister Elin.

Since launching, Jon has created a range of gins that are some of the most awarded in the World, paving paved the way for other Scandinavian gins using local botanicals like lingo berries, caraway and dill. What sets Hernö apart is that all the botanicals used are certified organic.

These include (naturally), juniper berries, coriander, fresh lemon peel, lingon berries, meadowsweet, black pepper, cassia and vanilla.

All the gins are produced using a one-shot method on a copper still and cut with water from Hernö distillery’s own well.

Hernö gin

I tried this gin nearly three years ago now, and fell in love with it straightaway. It’s easy to see why it’s the most awarded gin in Europe (2013–2017) and the World’s best Gin 2017. It’s a traditional London dry style with plenty of juniper and citrus. Fresh and bright, it has a subtle sweetness on the finish. A cracking gin and tonic gin!

Hernö Navy Strength

Hernö Navy Strength in uses the same base at the original gin but is only diluted down to 57.7% ABV. Rich and bold, but not overwhelming, it’s superb in a gimlet.

Hernö Old Tom

Vying for one of my favourite labels, Hernö Old Tom is a wonderful interpretation of this style of gin. Using the original Hernö gin as a base, Jon sweetens it with meadowsweet and honey, creating a deliciously well-balanced Old Tom. I love the honey notes on the finish. Try it in a Martinez.

Hernö Juniper Cask gin

Long-time readers will know I am extremely picky about barrel-aged gins. Much of the juniper character than I love so much is lost through aging. Jon’s unique method of using small juniper casks (39.25 liters) and only ‘resting the gin for 30 days, retains and deepens the juniper flavour while adding warmth and spice. Enjoy over ice or enjoy in an Old-Fashioned.

hernö gins old fashioned — Old Fashioned

Hernö Sloe gin

Charlie-Chaplin-Cocktail — Charlie Chaplin Cocktail

Organic sloe berries are macerated in original Hernö gin for three months before sugar is added. It’s not as sickly or cloying as some sloe gins can be and retains fresh fruit flavours. Sip neat over ice or in a Sloe Gin Fizz or Charlie Chaplin cocktail.

There are also couple of limited edition Hernö gins but the batches are too small to get any here in Australia. Hernö Blackcurrant is a fruity, jammy sensation but my favourite is the High Coast Terroir gin which changes recipe every year. All the botanicals are hand-picked by Jon in the UNESCO World Heritage Area of the High Coast, Sweden. Only 400 bottles were made last year so it sold out super quickly. Fortunately Jon brought some with him when he came to Australia for Junipalooza Melbourne and I had a taste then. It was incredible!

Hernö gins scream quality, whichever style you choose. If you want to check out the full list of awards, check out the awards page on their website! Jon’s care and attention to detail is obvious and it’s no accident that he has been the recipient of the Gin producer of the Year award by the IWSC ~ he’s also a great guy! The Hernö stand was very popular at Junipalooza Melbourne 2017 – the team completely sold out of stock in two days – so I’m keeping my fingers crossed we’ll see him again this year!

You can follow Hernö on Facebook and Instagram

For stockists contact Vanguard Luxury Brands.

Celery Gin

2 years ago • 2 comments • Gin, Holland • 0

I first tasted Celery Gin at Tales of the Cocktail last year. The latest gin from Rutte Distillery was on the shortlist for ‘Best New Spirit of 2016’ and Master Distiller Myriam Hendrickx was kind enough to grant me an interview which you can read here.

As with most new gins, it can take a while to hit the Australian market and I did a fair bit of pestering to find out when it would get here! I was fortunate enough to attend a ‘Lunch and Learn’ session last week with the Bacardi/DeKuyper team and enjoyed cocktails made with Celery Gin and Old Simon Genever created by Australian Bartender of the Year 2015, Lee Potter Cavanagh. That genever was a taste revelation and quite unlike other genevers that I’ve tasted and largely disliked.

Celery Gin came after DeKuyper acquired Rutte Distillery. They were looking for interesting flavours for their liqueur portfolio and Myriam pointed straight to the extensive Rutte archives where celery has been used as a botanical in Rutte genevers since the 1800s, and suggested using it to make a gin. The rest is history and the result has been a huge hit and put the smallest distillery in the Netherlands on the map.

Botanicals

In fact, it’s the incredibly fragrant leaves of the celery plant that are used alongside juniper, coriander, angelica root, sweet orange peel and cardamom, rather than celery seeds or the celery stalks we all crunch in our salads.

Tasting Celery Gin

Sometimes when a gin hits the market and it has a dominant botanical, the balanced “gin” flavour is lost. Fortunately, this is far from the case with Celery gin.

On the nose you get the familiar gin aromas; juniper, coriander and angelica.

If you are expecting this gin to taste of celery stalks, you’re in for a surprise as while celery notes are present, it’s not in your face. There is lots of piney juniper and citrus with fresh notes of celery leaves. The flavour then builds with more herbaceous celery, some orange giving a subtle sweetness and ending with bold white pepper notes. The finish is mouth-watering and lengthy.

Drinking Celery Gin

The herbaceous freshness of celery works well with gin, especially in savoury cocktails. Of course, a really excellent gin is super versatile. While Celery gin is a natural choice well in the celery forward cocktails I’ve shown above, it’s also excellent in a martini, It’s also creates an outstanding Red Snapper.

Country of Origin: Holland

ABV: 43%

Price: Medium

Gin and Jonnie GastroGin

2 years ago • 0 comments • Gin, Holland • 0

Gin and Jonnie GastroGin is one of the more intriguingly named gins I’ve come across recently! The choice of name becomes obvious when you discover that the recipe was created by Dutch chef Jonnie Boer. Jonnie became the youngest two Michelin-starred chef in the Netherlands and in 2004, his restaurant De Librije, receive 3 stars, only the second in the Netherlands to do so.

A die-hard gin and tonic fan, Jonnie sought the expertise of Onder de Boompjes, to collaborate on his passion project, a gin that would “captivate my favourite flavours, ones that are fresh, real and genuine“. Onder de Boompjes have been making genever since 1658 and is the second oldest distillery in the Netherlands. Together with his chef Maik Kuipers, master distiller Justus Walop and Johan Kersten from Onder de Boompjes, Jonnie took over a year to create the recipe for the world’s first “GastroGin”.

The botanicals

Gin and Jonnie GastroGin contains an abundance of citrus and pepper botanicals. There are four citrus ingredients: Lemon verbena, grapefruit, lemon and orange peel, and five types of pepper: Jamaican (flavours reminiscent of cinnamon and nutmeg), Szechuan, Voatsiperifery (aromatic with a subtle sweetness), Long, and Sarawak (black) pepper. They have also used fennel seed and fennel flowers, against a background of more traditional gin ingredients – juniper, cardamom, licorice, angelica and caraway seeds.

The taste

Citrus, citrus, citrus on the nose and palate. If you love a citrus forward gin you’ll love this. As the flavour builds the citrus gives way to some interesting aniseed flavours before those peppery botanicals come through and deliver and good blast of spicy warmth.

Drinking Gin and Jonnie GastroGin

Jonnie nailed the brief when it comes to making a gin that is made for tonic. It’s a great drink and the pepper and anise prevent it becoming overly sweet.

I used Lillet Blanc in place of vermouth to soften my martini and garnished with grapefruit peel to bring out those citrus elements. It was slightly sweet with a good peppery punch at the finish.

With my Negroni I used Antica Formula instead of sweet vermouth. With an ABV of 45% Gin and Jonnie GastroGin was a good choice, the spice and pepper notes work well with the bitterness of the Campari.

Gin and Jonnie GastroGin recently came 33rd in The Spirit Business Top 50 Innovative Spirits Launches of 2016, and if you like a bold gin with lots of flavour, then this is right up your gin lane!

Country of Origin: Holland

ABV: 45%

Cousin Vera’s Gin

3 years ago • 0 comments • Australian, Gin, Spain • 1

During my review of Santamanìa gin, I mentioned a unique collaboration between the Madrid distillery and our own, Four Pillars Gin, and here it is; Cousin Vera’s Gin.

The Australian-Spanish gin project started life as a conversation on twitter between the two distilleries, with Santamanìa remarking on the similarities between Wilma, Four Pillars Carl still, and their own still, Vera. Fast forward a year and while planning a trip through Europe, Cameron Mackenzie, Master Distiller at Four Pillars, saw the opportunity to create a gin with Santamanìa. The Spanish distillers were very enthusiastic and the plan was set in motion.

Botanicals

Cousin Vera’s gin, like Santamanìa uses neutral grape-based spirit made with Tempranillo grapes. The Spanish botanicals are Cornicabra olive, almond, fresh rosemary, white pepper, and Seville orange peel. The Australian native botanicals are; lemon myrtle, anise myrtle, Tasmanian pepper leaf and coriander. All of the botanicals, not forgetting juniper, were added to Vera and left to macerate overnight, before 5 hours of distillation.

The result is amazing. On the nose there is lots of juniper and rosemary with a hint of coriander. On the palate it has a wonderful fresh to start, with bright citrus notes leading on to savoury flavours from the olive and rosemary. It has a warm peppery finish with an incredible creamy mouthfeel.

I used Cousin Vera’s gin to make a Spanish martini made with Fino Sherry, garnished with Mount Zero olives from Victoria and Jamòn Ibèrico. Perfection! I would certainly recommend this in a Dirty Martini too.

Naturally, Cousin Vera’s gin makes a great G&T, but I also made a Rosemary Collins which was lovely.

Cousin Vera’s gin is an incredible achievement, highlighting the skills of Cam from Four Pillars and Javier, Victor and Ramon at Santamanìa. The gin is available at both distilleries in their own unique packaging. This is an extremely limited edition and definitely worth seeking out.

Country of Origin: Spain and Australia

ABV: 42.8%

Price: Medium

Santamanía Gin

3 years ago • 1 comment • Gin, Spain, World • 0

Spain consumes the most gin in the world (not counting the Philipines, who make a local version of “gin”) and has been the main driver of the gin boom with their passion for ‘Gin Tonica’. It was surprising to learn that there are so few micro-distilleries, Santamanía is the first urban distillery in Spain and is located in Madrid.

You might recognise a couple of things from the above image, firstly, they use a Carl still (named Vera) and secondly that the dude in the brown T-shirt with his back to the camera is Cameron Mackenzie, Master Distiller at Four Pillars Gin. More on the reason why he’s in the photo later!

Santamanía gin is made using grape-based spirit (other gins using grape based spirit include Melbourne Gin Company and G’Vine), from Tempranillo grapes, known as Spain’s ‘noble grape’ that have been growing in the Iberian Peninsula since the mid 800s BC. Grape-based spirit gives gin a different, smoother mouth-feel than grain-based, in my opinion, but some think that grape conflicts with the other botanical ingredients.Using the traditional one-shot distillation method, they produce the gin in VERY small batches at a time – no more than 800 bottles at a time.

The botanicals

Juniper, coriander, Spanish lemon and lime, liquorice, angelica and orris roots, pistachio nuts, cinnamon, white pepper, dry ginger, rosemary and fresh raspberries. Some interesting ones in there!

On the nose, there is soft citrus. On the palate the citrus notes leads on to herbaceous flavours including juniper, before some spice and warmth from the pepper, coriander and cardamon. The finish is long with a tiny hint of sweetness (from the raspberries perhaps?) and it has a very smooth mouthfeel.

Santamanía gin works very well in a G&T (I garnished mine with lime and black pepper) as expected from a Spanish gin! In a martini it might have benefitted from a different vermouth, as although it was a decent drink, it didn’t have the juniper oomph I like in my martinis.

Santamania and Cousin Vera gins — Santamanía and Cousin Vera gins

If you are expecting a bold juniper forward Spanish style gin then don’t, and don’t be disappointed! This is a beautifully balanced contemporary gin. I love what Santamanía have achieved with their gin and admire their passion for collaborations with other distillers. The most recent, on with Four Pillars gin where together they have created ‘Cousin Vera’ gin (review to follow). This distillery is certainly one to watch.

Country of Origin: Spain

ABV: 41%

Price: High

You can follow Santamanía Distillery on Facebook, instagram and twitter.

Malfy Gin

3 years ago • 0 comments • Gin, Italy, World • 1

Malfy gin is the first Italian gin to land on my desk and after an initial concern that it would be more limoncello than gin, I’ve been won over. Why the worry? Malfy Gin’s label states “con limone” and unfortunately, I’ve tasted gins recently where the desire the produce a citrus forward gin has resulted in flavour profiles that lean towards how I imagine some lemon detergents might taste.

However, the distillers at Torino Distillati – a small distillery in Moncalieri owned by the Vergnano family, that makes Malfy gin – have used a different distillation technique to get some very fresh flavours.

Malfy Gin is made using vacuum distillation. It’s a relatively new phenomenon in the world of gin production and has some distinct advantages over traditional methods including avoiding heat-related degradation of the product being distilled and better flavour retention. The other advantage is no heads and tails need to be thrown out, so everything that is distilled can be bottled, reducing waste. The only downside I guess is the inability to upscale to larger quantities.

Bacardi used this method for their Oxley gin which is distilled at -5 degrees. Sacred Gin is also vacuum distilled.

Malfy Gin Botanicals

A mix of peel from Amalfi Coast lemons (10-20%) and Sicilian lemons (80%) are steeped in alcohol and then squeezed in a traditional basket press.

Malfy Gin Lemon Press — Lemons being squeezed in the press

The lemon extract is then distilled with Tuscan juniper, coriander, cassia, liquorice, together with grapefruit and orange peels.

On the nose, it is bright and zesty with lemon as you’d expect. This freshness follows through on the palate, with the citrus notes mingling with some delicate juniper and spice notes from the coriander leading through to a surprisingly warm, lingering dry finish..

We tried it with tonic garnished with rosemary. It had lots of zesty lemon sherbet flavours going on which were delicious, however I think Malfy gin would stand up well with plain soda water.

In a martini it was beautifully dry and crisp. I probably should have chosen an italian vermouth, but Dolin worked brilliantly, and knowing it would not require my usual a twist, I chose sage for a savoury lift. Perfection!

Dry Martini made with Malfy gin, Dolin vermouth and garnished with sage

So there we have it, my first Italian gin. As winter approaches I’ll look to this one for a taste of the Mediterranean on a gloomy day.

Country of Origin: Italy

ABV: 41%

Price: Medium

Nolet’s Silver Dry Gin

3 years ago • 0 comments • Gin, Holland, World • 0

The current gin boom sees ever crazier expressions of the spirit, with distillers appearing to be in a battle with each other to use the most unusual botanicals they can. I have tasted some disastrous gins (I’m not naming names) where the unusual has wrecked the sublime juniper spirit I enjoy. I know, I’m a purist. However, I am learning to appreciate the more contemporary gins, particularly if the quality is there. Aviation gin is a good example of a contemporary gin where juniper doesn’t dominate.

Nolet’s Silver Dry Gin is one of the more left-field gin brands and was created by the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, Netherlands. The Nolet family has been distilling for over 300 years, and produce Ketel One vodka and Jenever/Genever.

The botanicals used in Nolet’s Silver Dry gin only have a whisper of the traditional ingredients (juniper, citrus, orris and liquorice) with white peach, turkish rose and raspberry added as essences. Rose and notes of turkish delight are detectable on the both the nose and the palate, as well as raspberries. Pine notes from the juniper came through towards the end with some pepper and earthy tones giving a surprisingly dry finish.

This is Hendrick’s bolder sister; fruity and floral, smooth and moreish. Sipping neat over ice opens out the flavours and I would recommend using it in a Gin Rickey rather than in a G&T. It produced a rich, full negroni (I used Dolin vermouth and Campari) with a sweet rose finish. Interesting!

The dry martini is where Nolet’s Silver Dry gin comes into its own. The floral notes in the gin balanced well with the vermouth (Dolin Dry in a 5:1 ratio) and resulted in a soft (almost creamy) martini. If you aren’t confident drinking martinis this could be a good place to start! A Clover Club cocktail would also work well with this gin.

This is the most contemporary gin I’ve tasted so far and will definitely polarise opinion. The price is at the premium end of the market and is only available in Australia via Nicks Wine Merchants. I’m intrigued to try the companion gin, Nolet’s ‘The Reserve’ Dry Gin (gold label) but at over $600 a bottle I think I might be waiting a while!

Country of Origin: Holland

ABV: 47.6%

Price: High

Elephant Gin

3 years ago • 0 comments • Gin, World • 1

Drinking gin to help protect elephants? The people behind Elephant Gin set out to do just that, combining their love of gin with their desire to save these endangered animals.

It sounds wonderful in theory, but at first glance at the gin botanicals used to make Elephant Gin, I was a little surprised to see there was no mention of coriander, orris root or angelica. Instead ingredients sourced from Africa like Devil’s Claw (a herb related to sesame seeds), Lion’s Tail (plant related to the mint family) the Baobab (also used in Whitley Neill gin), Buchu plant with a flavour similar to blackcurrant, and African wormwood have been used. Other botanicals are more familiar – pimento, orange peel, mountain pine, juniper and ginger. Also included into the mix are fresh apples.

On paper it didn’t sound much like gin, but happily I was to be proved wrong!

On the nose, there are fragrant pine and herb notes with light apple aromas. I swear I smelt panetonne – an assortment vanilla and candied fruit smells! The apple flavour is noticeable on first tasting, but think crisp granny smith rather than sweet reds. I was expecting a sweet, floral gin, but the herbaceous notes become bolder before earthy, spice notes lead to a lengthy finish. This gin is very smooth on the palate. Remarkably so given it is 45% ABV.

An unusual gin that begs to be sipped neat, Elephant makes a delicious G&T with a slice of apple and some juniper or a bold Negroni.

Elephant-gin-label — Each batch is named after past greatest tuskers or elephants the charity is trying to protect.

Too often we see gins available full of wacky ingredients that are used at the expense of making a decent gin. Elephant Gin is a masterclass in taking the unusual and making them work! Not only that but 15% of their profits go to Big Life Foundation and Space for Elephants Foundation. Two charities focussed on protecting elephants and their habitats.

Country of Origin: Germany

ABV: 45%

Price: Medium

Follow Elephant Gin on Facebook and twitter.

Gin 1495

3 years ago • 6 comments • Gin, News, World • 0

When I heard about the Gin 1495 project last year I was intrigued. Juniper has been used in medicine and drinks since the 13th century, but no recipes had been recorded. The discovery of a recipe from 1495 was extremely exciting, but there was talk of limited bottles and only a few people in the world being offered a taste. I crossed my fingers and hoped that a bottle would wing its way to Australia and that I might have an opportunity to taste a little history. Thanks to my friends at G’Vine gin an invitation found its way to me.

The Gin 1495 tasting event was held at Juniper Hall, one of the oldest buildings in Sydney and home to a former English distiller, Robert Cooper, who had been transported to Australia as a convict!

Only 40 guests were invited along to hear Philip Duffy, drinks historian and gin expert, talk us through this extraordinary venture.

Phil first came across the reference to a gin recipe in an out of print book on Jenever. His interest piqued, he began investigating its origin and discovered that the text came from a 1495 cookbook from a merchant’s house in East Netherlands and was part of a collection of Sir Hans Sloane (founder of the British Museum) and that the collection was housed in the British Library.

What do you do when you discover an ancient recipe? Well, in Philip’s case you gather some of the foremost drinks historians: David Wondrich, Gaz Regan and Dave Broom together with Jean-Sébastien Robicquet (owner and founder of Eurowinegate and G’vine gin creator) and recreate it.

The botanicals listed in the recipe were nutmeg (at that time was worth more than its weight in gold), ginger, galangal (similar to ginger), grains of paradise, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, sage, and juniper. The recipe states to use one part botanicals to nine parts wine distillate.

Wine was used as the base as opposed to grain spirit because it was easier to come by. It’s worth remembering that this predates the East India Company being founded, so these spices would have been brought across the silk route, probably by a lone merchant.

Two versions of gin were created from the recipe Verbatim is the exact recipe, while Interpretatio is the same recipe but with the inclusion of some of the more familiar gin botanicals used today that were unavailable then.

Verbatim (42% ABV)

On tasting this screamed “NUTMEG”. It was bold and herbaceous and very spicy. I felt warmed to my toes. One can only imagine the response when the merchant brought this out for his dinner guests. It would have tasted like nothing they had ever tasted before!

Interpretatio (45% ABV)

This version was made with more juniper, citrus and some angelica root. The resulting liquid is very different to Verbatim and more familiar as a gin, with the juniper more noticeable. It’s fresher, but still with herb and spice notes evident.

Only 100 sets of the gins have been produced. They will not be on general sale, but instead have been donated to various museums, spirits collections, archives, and gin institutions around the world. Some of them will also be auctioned off for charity.

Philip Duff and I with the two gins and a reproduction of the recipe manuscript

It was an experience of a lifetime to taste something so unique and I love that this passion project is such an altruistic one.

In Australia the auction will be raising funds for Wine to Water a A movement dedicated to providing clean water and sanitation to people in need around the world.

If you would like to make a bid to become one of the owners for these rare gins, you can do so here (auction closes on Friday Jul 31st, 7:30pm AEST)

For more information on Gin 1495 click here.

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Le Tribute gin botanicals

Distilling

Tasting Le Tribute gin

Drinking Le Tribute gin

Hernö gin

Hernö Navy Strength

Hernö Old Tom

Hernö Juniper Cask gin

Hernö Sloe gin

Botanicals

Tasting Celery Gin

Drinking Celery Gin

The botanicals

The taste

Drinking Gin and Jonnie GastroGin

Botanicals

The botanicals

Malfy Gin Botanicals

Verbatim (42% ABV)

Interpretatio (45% ABV)