First up for February Gin Club is Burleigh’s London Dry.

According to the lovely people behind Burleigh’s (45 West Distillery), Jamie Baxter the master distiller was walking through Burleigh Wood nature reserve which is next to the distillery.

This is where he came across some of the unique set of 11 botanicals which go into Burleigh’s London Dry; silver birch, dandelion, burdock, elderberry and iris. Those of you who can count know the list you just read does not add up to 11 as some of the ingredients are secret which can be found in Charnwood Forest the main inspiration for the first recipe and from this natural woodland site, Burleigh’s Gin was born.

I have been trying to find out loads more about Burleigh’s other than the usual which is above.  I really have been struggling.  For me Burleigh’s is one of those crisp and clean gins on the citrus end of the scale.  Anyone reading anything I write will know I like the citrus side of gin.  A Gin and Tonic should be fresh and sweet.  It should make you do something my dad does when he gets his gin on a Friday which is smack his lips about eight times on the first sip then a gulp and a wee exhale of “braw” (Applies in both Danish and Scots).

Burleigh’s definitely provides that reaction to me when I have in a classic G&T.  I have yet to experiment more with it in cocktail form.  The rather swish Burleigh’s website gives lots of serving suggestions which you don’t have to be a Mixologist (yes these people used to be called Cocktail Waiters I know – if you are reading this then you are a Ginologist and we all love doing Ginology) to make.

Burleigh’s gives an initial hit of Juniper (it is a gin) then comes the citrus.  There are a lot of herbs going on but my palate seems to put mix them together to form the whole image and not isolate them.  I read one blog post stating that Burleigh’s was a herbaceous gin, I haven’t found this to be the case at all.  I get citrus and pine.  Maybe I should drink slower or just start buying the Export strength.

We will be serving Burleigh’s with lots of ice, fever tree and citrus fruit (not sure what yet) and maybe with something special to produce a classic G&T.