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Februarys Gin Club

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So the February Gin Club has been and gone.  I might keep this blog short and no doubt it will end up be nothing but praise for the all the Gins involved.

So Friday night started off in our usually way, once again we were minus Kate (this is to make her guilty), she had no excuse this time, no ski trips, no posh boys to hang out with :). And so Stuart (Caldo) and I were thinking “bugger it we will cope”.  Then everyone decided to turn up earlier! Haha thanks Gin Clubbers for causing me to think about being stressed.  Those of you who know me will know I have tried very hard my whole life to not look bothered about anything other than bands I don’t like or my aversion to positive campaigns that involve a three letter word and ignore all counter arguments.

So anyway I was contemplating being stress, Stuart and I were still in our T-shirts, the Garnishes were yet to be cut and essentially we were not ready to go.  It was 7pm you keen keen bunch.  Luckily for you there are fathoms of tea, coffee and cake.  Then by 7:30 we were ready, and you all arrived at the same time.  Then my ever increasing bald patch started saying “oh yay time to grow”.

Boom!!! Don’t think so; cue Irish Ger the man that had just turned up because last week when Gin’d Out Caldo and I say “yeah just… Come… Along…” and he did.  And he served and saved the day.  You all got your gin.

So thank you Ger.

I think this was our busiest one yet. Don’t know why but I think it might have something to the do with the volume of Gin and the length people stayed.  For starters Edinburgh Gin brought their entire stock catalogue for tasting, which everyone did and they brought a mini still to make Cannonball gin.  It’s fair to say there were a lot of merrier Gin lovers.

Some thank you.

The Gin Brands you were amazing.  Jamie (Burleighs), Finlay (Edinburgh) and Ruaridh (Rock Rose).  We love it when reps from the brands come along.  You guys really made Gin Club all that more special, our knowledge on the Gin we serve are limited to what we read and what we get to share depends on how much time we have while running the event, but you all walked round and shared you knowledge and love of your products to every table.  Ruaridh no idea why your Rock Rose empty bottles are in such high demand (folks if you get a chance try some Rock Rose jam and randomly scope it with a massive chunk of random herb).

Just to remind you all we had:

Burleighs Gin

Rock Rose

Edinburgh Cannonball (and all the rest)

Whitley Neill

Some more thanks, obviously you the guests for coming.  Carly Morrison our licensee. The hidden lane and your amazing food.  Ger.  The Gins.  Malky who didn’t turn up and of course the tiny person taking photos called Fiona Mckinlay, she jumped in at the last minute and I always owe her favours

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Mr Neill I Persume

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Whitley-Neill-Gin-Logo

Whitley Neill is distilled near Birmingham, in an antique copper pot still called ‘Constance’ who is over 100 years old. Using exceptionally pure water along with nine botanicals are which are carefully selected to ensure that they are of the highest quality. Whitley Neill’s tagline is “Made in London and Inspired by Africa” which is not only an insight to its creator Johnny Neill who is married to an African woman but also describes some of the botanical choices. In this line up are cape gooseberries and baobab fruit along with more traditional ones such as juniper, coriander, lemon & orange peel, angelica root, cassia bark and orris root.

Johnny established the company 2004 with the aim of offering consumers a new and different gin to those already in existence in the market. Despite the brand being 10 years old and this being Johnny’s first foray into gin he has family experience to back this up (Johnny Neill is from the fourth generation of the Greenall Whitley distilling family).

It’s also a Gin with morality as 5p from the sale of each bottle goes to Tree Aid in Africa to help with reforestation.  One of the few Gin brands along with Elephant Gin giving 15% of its earnings to two Elephants.

To taste you get juniper and citrus notes first followed by a subtle spice and complex finish. It really does not disappoint on the “different” quote as you do get more than you normally get from a London Dry.

We should be serving Whitley Neill with Fever Tree, garnished with a Cape Gooseberry (they have another name which sounds like an STD but no one can pronounce it), in a classic G&T.

Thanks

Graeme

Edinburgh Gin – Cannonball (Not Damian Rice)

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EGD_circle_logo6 EG Cannonball

Our third Gin for the February Gin Club is the mighty company of Edinburgh Gin.  When looking for Gins to be involved in February we weren’t initially think about Edinburgh.  This is mainly because we could have done a whole gin club just on them, their product list seems to grow and grow.  For February’s Gin Club we are getting something rather special, they are bringing along the new Cannonball Gin – along with other goodies too.

Edinburgh Gin is part of Spencerfield Spirit Company and was launched in June 2010. Edinburgh Gin’s parent company – Spencerfield Spirit Co also have Sheep Dip and Pig’s Nose whiskies.

Now here comes the bit we at Gin Club debated for a long time, we always thought Edinburgh Gin was made in England and only bottled in Edinburgh, however…  For the first four years of its life it was made in England in a still called “Jenny”.   Then the spirit was shipped to Edinburgh and a selection of locally sourced and grown Scottish botanicals such as juniper berries, milk thistle, pine, heather were combined with the gin distillate from England, watered down and bottled.  But since summer 2014 the whole process now takes place in Edinburgh – thus ends the argument of Edinburgh Gins true origin.

The Edinburgh Gin range is rather impressive with Raspberry Gin (which we have been told are Rasps from Perthshire – hopefully Blairgowrie as Stuart and I have strict rules about the berries we eat as essentially our entire teenage years were paid for by working on the berries) and Elderflower Gin. And for us we will be using the strong “navy strength” stuff called Cannonball.

Edinburgh Gin has a full juniper hit (I keep saying this but Gins really should taste of Juniper) with heathery notes.  We haven’t tried the Cannonball yet though, I’m guessing it’s the same just stronger.  We might and I say might be making Martini’s for the evening which I want to call Mongs Meg Martini’s (doubtful if this will stick though).

February Gin Club – Rock Rose

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Our second Gin at our February Gin Club is Rock Rose – when I say second there is no order at Gin Club, Just use your GinMe’s and pick which ever Gin you want to try first.

Rock Rose

Rock rose heralds from the north of our lovely country (that’s Scotland in case anyone wasn’t sure) in Caithness at the Dunnet Bay Distillery.  Now this is where I turn into the worst Geographer ever, much like our good friend Ruth Jackson who doesn’t know where anything is.  In my head (for years anyway) Caithness was just a part of Perth which was on the A9 roundabout, exactly where Caithness Glass the company is located.  Thankfully my geography has improved and I know exactly where it is.  It’s a lovely region (in name only I think not officially) near Thurso.

Continuing with a rather Scottish Gin making tradition, Rock Rose uses locally sourced botanicals.  I’m not sure if these go along with the foraging theme many other Gins in Scotland use.  The only botanicals which are not sourced locally is the juniper and the cardamom – now I don’t remember where I heard this as no doubt it was on a night where Gin was being drunk so it might have vanished into the ether of the evening but I remember someone saying that most Gin brands don’t use Scottish Juniper as it’s not meant to be that great.  Someone can confirm this for us at Gin Club though.

Rock Rose is distilled in a traditional Copper Still called Elizabeth and contains Rhodiola Rosea, Rowan Berries, Sea Buckthorn, Blackberries, Verbena, Corriander Seed, Cardamom and Juniper.  I’m sure there are more again trade secrets and all that.

So we have a wee confession on this one.  We haven’t decided how we are serving this at Gin Club.  I know normal we would be describing the perfect pour but Stuart, Kate and I haven’t sat down and went through all the pours yet.

Don’t worry.  Rock Rose tastes amazing regardless so it will be good.

So instead of our perfect taste here is a picture of Ruaridh from Rock Rose buying a new car on the Dunnet Bay Distillery expense account.

Ruh

Thanks

Graeme

Burleigh’s London Dry

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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.

Gin 71 – Gin Festival

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We at Gin Club are late to the party for chatting about Gin 71, who knows maybe on some subconscious level we thought “oh no, they are after our turf”,  which couldn’t be further from the truth (We don’t have a bar with Gin piled up to the roof, Graeme has a Gin Shed though).  So its long over due we write and blog post, collaborate and celebrate Gin 71’s latest enterprising idea.

 

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What / Where is Gin 71:

Gin 71 is Cup and Cup is Gin 71.  Located in the city centre behind the new shopping bit on argyle street where the old tea room used to be on Renfield Street you will find Cup a lovely tea shop which opened to in 2012.  From 6pm Cup becomes Gin 71, which is Glasgow’s only dedicated Gin Bar.  There has only really been one other tea gin combo in Glasgow and that was Heston Bluementhal’s horrible attempt to combine earl grey tea and gin.  Please never buy this gin, if you have ever been bought it fire it at the back of the drinks cabinet only giving it to the family member you don’t like.

Gin 71 is excellent for those of you who like small batch or lovingly made gins.  They really do some great work to promote the small man and I think I am right in saying they observe our number rule of No Gordons (btw Eileen from Gin 71 if this is not right please correct me).

Ginfestival:

Continuing the love for all things Gin, Gin 71 have crafted a selection of events to form a Gin Festival, all eight nights of joy.  Sadly we are nearly at the end of the festival but there is still time to catch up on drinking (responsibly, these are school nights after all).  The festival opened with on Wednesday the 11th with one of our favs at Gin Club, Mr Martin Millers and up until this evening has hosted a selection of dedicated gin brand evenings, with the likes of Edinburgh Gin (featured at this month’s Gin Club) and specialist gin cocktails for Valentine’s day.

This evening is featuring another Gin Club firm favourite which is all things Sipmsiths.  There is still time to head down this evening from 7pm, try Sipsmiths, learn about the brand, drink some more, then keep going until the bank card appears, the buses have stopped and you regret not having the day off (or week off when you see what else is on).

We at Gin Club will be heading along tomorrow for the Gin Tour of Scotland event which will feature gin stalls from Makar, Pickerings, Strathearn, Darnley’s View and the Eden Mill Distillery.

http://www.gin71.com/gin-festival/

Again there is definitely still time to get yourself organised and come along to the remaining events.

Thanks

Graeme

Ginuary

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The forgetful January

So the first Gin Club of 2015 is over, before I prattle on I would like to thank NB, St George, Martin Millers and Brecon Gin for being part of Gin Club January.  All these amazing brands went down a storm, my only regret is even though the car was ditched, #thecarsgettingditched, which led to #lettheginbegin, was that in no way did I drink enough of these fine brands.  Rothney (the help) and Ritchie (the photo man) did though.  Caldo and I as per were left too dry for our liking.

Caldo and I weren’t sure how the evening would go as we were minus our mother hen Kate, who had decided to bugger off on a ski holiday, even though she can’t ski and is always moaning about being too busy .  So we drafted in the services of our beer / wine making hermit of a friend Craig Rothney, tt was a pleasure to allow this man to escape his Perthshire cave for the evening and come and serve booze instead of standing by around with his usual side kick Colin (i’m average height) Clayes.  Those of you at the first Gin Club may remember that our #Gindout  hashtag comes from Mr Clayes as he cannot handle his booze (nor social interaction tbh).  Anyway Rothney saved us on Friday so thanks to him.

Another surprise blinder for the evening was that the Hidden Lane laid on a special Gin Club treats menu, which might I say was rather special.  Even though I was too busy to purchase anything, the pile of dishes at the end of the night was a clear sign of a successful gin related menu.   I did help myself to some off cuts of sponge.  Yummm.

Massive thank you to DJ Malky B who was sober…  No wine for him, just soul music, making our already couple-esk night feel like a Tinder speed dating evening with Gin to ease the inhibitions (thankfully nothing clatty happened).

There was no order to the gins this evening as me (Squirrel / Graeme) forgot to bring half of what he was meant to (I’m blaming Kate for not reminding me).  The booklets were absent for the first 20 mins and the Gin Me cards were in no colour coded order.  Some lovely guest asked “Are the Gin Me cards colour coded to the gins flavours”!…  Blank expression from me then a laugh/ As we have a tangerine colour and sea blue colour.

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Our first gin to arrive and most people’s first gin of the night was NB (this is down to bottle placement on the bar nothing else).  We served NB with a slice of orange served with Fever Tree.  I love NB, it really is a classy well-made spirit.  You can check out our blog dedicated to NB or google it, but if you haven’t had some go and grab a bottle from the Good Spirit Co and enjoy it.  If you’re not wanting to be really adventurous (I am in no way saying NB is simple btw, its anything but) but wanting something expertly made and tastes incredible get yourself some NB.

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Next to NB was a little bottle of a gin we never thought we would get, but hey if you don’t ask you don’t get.  St. George Terroir all the way from California (and not Yosemite park where I had it in my head it was from, apparently you get bears in lots of American states).  St. George isn’t a normal gin it’s much more specific and leading towards the herbaceous.  In our blog post when which we posted to announce the gins I describe the taste in much more detail but just to remind you, it tastes like an alcoholic alpine woodland, there is that hint of the smell your living room gets on the first day you get a Christmas tree.  We served it with Fever Tree and Rosemary, we originally put rosemary and lemon in there but it tasted too much like a standard G&T.

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Martin Millers was something we have also wanted at Gin Club for a while and thankfully this time round Mr Miller appeared.  I have always been drawn towards this brand, not just because of the art deco bottle or the Icelandic connection but with the self-indulgence which goes into crafting it.  Two distillates and a 3000 round mile trip to add the water, truly a huge carbon footprint but what a magical result.  For January’s Gin Club we served it with Strawberry (sadly not Blairgowrie ground ones, it is January after all and not even a poly tunnel can help us) and black pepper.  Ohhh what a smooth drink, great combination from Stuart Caldow if ever I say so.  Those of you we stuck around to the bitter end will have got to try Caldo’s garnish experiments with Chilli’s and Coriander.  I like the difference in the taste with this but preferred the sweet strawberry.  We even changed the tonic at this point.  Martin Millers is a gin that can change a lot just on the mixer and the garnish so if you have a bottle experiment.

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Last on our gin list was Caldo’s find, a left field option but still very much in the London Dry (Welsh Dry) world.  Brecon Gin is a very elegant lady of a product.  Classic gin flavours and made expertly.  It comes from the famous Brecon Whiskey Distillery and if you go on their website you can find loads about the Brecon national park, their incredible water and mainly their whiskey.  Not so much about the Gin though.  Brecon gin is a big traditional juniper laced gin with coriander and revealing hints of spicy cinnamon.  We served as a classic G&T with lime which soften the heavy juniper and complimented the cinnamon and herbs.

Once again Kate, Caldo, Rothney (I suppose) and myself would like to thank everyone there who made it another sell out gin club.  Next one is 27th Feb which is also a sell out then after that March which has just been announced

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Also thanks to Ritchie, his sheer manliness and camera skills, the ladies of the Hidden Lane for their  food, the heat from the oven, the cake smell and the cakes.  Finally to Carly Morrison who keeps it all legal and always helping us out, you are a massive legend misses we wouldn’t have a GC without you.

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Thanks
Graeme

Mr Miller’s 3000 Mile Round Trip

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I have always had a thing for Iceland and no before anyone cracks a dad joke not the frozen food chain. In December 2014 I finally went and feel even more in love with the country. It really is a stunning place, the landscape feels like another world, people seem generally concerned about each other and randomly home to some of the greatest population statistics I’ve ever heard; in Iceland the most popular Christmas present is a book, it’s a thing, people give books are presents, culminating in the country having one of the best literacy scores anywhere on the planet. There are no McDonalds or Burger King, when the financial crisis hit, all the fast food chains up sticks and left they weren’t missed. It is also home to huge glaciers with millions of gallons of purified water (which is important to this tale).

The gin Martin Miller’s (yes it is Miller’s and not one of those occasions like with the lager Miller, people add the letter S on the end) was devised by Martin Miller and friend David Bromige over a “long lunch”. Miller describes that this was an idea to be added to a host of ideas he wanted to do but had no knowledge how to do them. The result of this lunch though is incredible.

The spirit is made in Langley’s Distiller, the Black Country, England. Where it is distilled in two parts. The “earthy” botanicals such as the Juniper, Cassia, Florentine, Orris and Angelica, are distilled by themselves, then the citric botanicals are distilled separately, essentially making citrus vodka and a really strong gin. These two distillates are mixed together before taking an exceptionally long journey towards the Arctic Circle.

The gin is taken on a 3,000 mile round trip to Iceland to be blended with that Icelandic water which has been purified through glaciers, this gives the water more oxygen than normal, adds minerals, leaves the water pure from contaminants and causes the water to have a higher surface tension.

When I was reading up on this process some time ago I thought it was mad but really, it’s a reflection of the man. Martin Miller seems a bit eccentric and to quote him himself “time and money were no object”. I was also reading (Thanks to our friends at Gin Foundry) that it is not possible to ship the water to the UK and blend the gin here as import laws would require it to be demineralized (which would defeat the purpose of going to Iceland in the first place).

The gin itself contains 10 botanicals; juniper, coriander, angelica root, orange peel, orris root, cassia and cinnamon bark, ground nutmeg, liquorice and a further secret ingredient which most believe to be cucumber (we can ask the rep from Martin Miller’s this on Friday).

To me Martin Miller’s is stunning, Kate always moans and claims I always go for things that are citrus flavored, I see gin though as fresh and crisp and Martin Miller’s delivers this. The first hit is the citric notes then juniper kicking in just after. Find Mr. Miller and buy one of his amazing bottles.

 Thanks

 

Graeme

Gin Deux – NB – 2015

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NB

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Our second gin of 2015 and something we have been keen to use since the gin bar at Brew at the Bog in March 2014 is NB. Up until recently I had no idea that NB stands for North Berwick, which is fitting as it’s made there. I do wonder at the intelligence level of myself, I knew this was made in North Berwick but didn’t twig that’s what the NB was for.

NB is made by Husband and wife (I really want to say wife and husband) team Steve and Vivienne Muir their own micro-distillery in North Berwick (NB). It’s made from pure British grain spirit and a combination of eight botanicals, all of which have been, meticulously selected to produce a smooth and balanced flavour which is not overly complicated. We haven’t been told what those eight are though.

Launched in October 2013, NB Gin is stilled, blended, bottled and labelled by hand in North Berwick in very small batches, to ensure that every bottle is of the highest quality. The still itself was custom built in London and installed in North Berwick by the oldest still makers in the world, John Dore & Co.

Since it’s launching in 2013 there has been overwhelming demand for NB Gin. Thousands of bottles have been sold and the number of trade customers it’s attracting across the UK is growing by the day. It is already being stocked across the UK and beyond.

NB Gin was honoured with a silver medal in the Micro Distillery category at The Gin Masters 2014, just nine months after launch. Chaired by The Spirits Business magazine, the awards are staged to find and reward the finest brands and are judged by a panel of leading spirits and on-trade specialists in a blind tasting. NB Gin was one of only nine gins, and the only Scottish gin, to win an award in the Micro Distillery category.

NB Gin is a classic, when you first try it neat it is bright and fresh, you can taste the citrus coming through, and with a dominant hit of juniper (it is a gin). I was trying to think of the best way to describe this gin, I just keep thinking classic and classy. These words don’t mean much on their own but from the font, down to the quality of the distilling this is a classy gin that stands on its own. I get juniper, coriander, angelica, orris root, cardamom, liquorice and something citrus, Vivienne and Steve don’t say what goes into it though.

 

http://www.nbgin.com/

 

 

Thanks

 

Graeme

Gin 1 – 2015 – St. George Terroir

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Our first Gin for 2015 is something special from across the Atlantic. St. George Terroir. The Wino’s among you will realise the word Terroir relates to soil region which affects the grape (There is more to this name than what I have just said but I am not copying Wikipedia out word for word). In this case the gin was already called St. George and there is a dog called a St. George terrier so “lets make a St George Terroir” Maybe…. St George Terroir

St. George Spirits was established by Jörg Rupf in 1982 after arriving in America from the Black Forest, Germany. It has taken them up to 30 years to grow into the distillery they are today from a one man to an ex Naval hangar, producing three gins along with other spirits.

Terroir Gin

St. George Terroir uses 3 botanicals inspired by the wild Golden State that is California, along with others that help bring them to life in what the team at St George’s Spirits call an “Ode to the Golden State”. The lead notes are all foresty of Douglas fir, bay laurel and sage, along with coriander seeds and juniper.

I have been trying to working out how the gin is made as they say “We distil the fir and sage individually on a 250-liter still to minimize the impact of seasonal variation. The fresh bay laurel leaves and juniper berries are vapour infused in a botanicals basket. The other botanicals go right in the pot of our 1,500-liter still”. No idea about the rest of the process though.

Terroir is unique, it really doesn’t taste like any other gin I have tried, you really do get the feeling you are standing in an American forest. Sadly in my head I’m in Yellowstone Park drinking and avoiding Yogi and not in California (I’ve never been to either).