So this month we are doing something a bit different.

The main reason being Stuart and myself have been busy as hell the whole of September and we haven’t had a chance to do the blogs the same, hence all the “ghost blog” posts for the Great British Bake Off.  But that will happen when you gallivant off on something called Honeymoon.

Right so this time we are doing the blogs in reverse order, we usually do a blog for each featured Gin, then post a small blog about how we served it after it.  But we are doing the latter first.

So our first two Gins for This month are:

FIRKIN

FIRKIN Gin was launched in April 2015 by Gleann Mor Spirit Company.  Before progressing any further Gleann Mor are mainly a Whiskey company, they specialise in bottling rare whiskeys.  This is the Gleann Mor distilleries foray into Gin and can I just start by saying brilliant start folks.  So Frikin Gin has a distinct whiskey look, it is golden brown and this is caused by the American oak whisky casks, it is rested in.

The ingredients are a traditional line up with juniper, coriander seed, angelica root, and orris root all added into the still.  The Gin is 4 times distilled and bottled at 46%.  There is a good hit of juniper on the nose, followed by mint and lemon peel, then lemon barley sweetness develops followed by flint and elderflower;  a lovely balance between sweetness and crisp aromas.  On the palate, fudge-like sweetness with clean eucalyptus, then more mint.

I find the Gin straight better than in a G&T as it gives a good mix of Juniper and Toffee type flavors.  To me tonic takes the Juniper away however, for Gin Club we are keeping the tonic or possibly attempting another mixer.  Trust me the flavor wont be lost, I think I have drank too much Gin now so Juniper gets lost unless its above 40% 🙂

Serving Suggestion: G&T served with Fever Tree, garnished Orange peel (maybe Ginger beer)

EDINBURGH SEASIDE

Edinburgh Gin have been constant innovators in the world of Scottish Gin.  For some time the Gin was bottled down south but in summer 2014 Edinburgh Gin move the distillation process to the capital.

The Edinburgh Gin range is rather impressive with Raspberry Gin (which we have been told are Rasps from Perthshire) and Elderflower Gin (and other flavoured gins), we featured the Cannonball Gin in February, this time though we are using the Edinburgh Seaside Gin.

Head Distiller David Wilkinson and the team scowered the coastline in search of the perfect ingredients to give a Scottish seaside flavour. After experimentation, they settled on a combination of seaweed, scurvy grass and ground ivy combined to the other Edinburgh Gin Botanicals making a slightly sweet yet refreshingly minerally taste, you can taste the salt.

Its a really strange taste at first.  Its like when someone lets your try potatoes cooked in sea water.  Its strange but brilliant.  This is a truly unique approach to adding flavor to a spirit which inst just making it another fruit infused Gin.

Serving Suggestion: Served with Fever Tree Tonic (possibly Mediterranean Tonic) & lemon twist.