But few go as far as Martin Miller, who chooses to send his English-made gin all the way to Iceland for reducing with pure Iceland spring water. “The fl avour,” say the Icelanders, “comes from mother earth itself.”
London’s fi rst new still for 190 years. Sipsmith founders, Fairfax Hall and Sam
Galsworthy, call themselves ‘sip smiths’ like ‘gold smiths’ to explain the name and their passion. Theirs is a real London gin, distilled at a former micro brewery in Hammersmith, West London. Their botanical obsession takes them
to source Macedonian Juniper, Bulgarian coriander and Seville orange peel and their water is transported from the Lydwell spring, one of the Cotswold starting springs for the mighty River Thames, which fl ows past a block away from their door.
Six O’ Clock is a new venture created
by the Bramley and Cage family business in Gloucestershire, mainly fruit farmers specialising in fruit liqueurs. Their gin has juniper, of course, plus six other botanicals including elderfl ower, creating an interesting and effective distinction. Nice fruity result, 43 per cent in a 35 cl bottle at about £16. Johnny Neill, creator in Liverpool of Whitley Neill London Dry Gin, ventures even further afi eld. A fourth generation enthusiast, his dream gin is “inspired by Africa, made in England“. His added signature botanicals are the fruit of the Boabab tree – the tree of life – and South African Cape gooseberry. The end result is citrussy, fresh and a nice 42 per cent for under £20 in Waitrose.
obsessed with sourcing and processing the botanicals in the authentic way. Some seek out new botanicals to add to their recipe, exotic plants from exotic places, and no essences. Martin Miller’s even separate out the dried peel of the citrus fruits for steeping before combining them with the earthy fl avours of juniper, coriander and the other botanicals included in the still for the second distillation.
All distillers swear the shape of the copper still itself affects the end result and many adore an old one. Martin Miller’s was made in 1904 and is called Angela. Sipsmith Gin, launched in 2008, had a brand new one made to their own design, named Prudence and claimed to be
Scotland Hendricks is made in Scotland and its unexpected additions are cucumber and rose petals. The signifi cantly different fl avour and rose-tint colour is “not for everybody”, they say. I can’t think why as, at 41.4 per cent, it is very good for a g&t and £23 at Waitrose. Having made a gin gem, the makers are equally particular about what mixer should be put with it. Only Noilly Prat vermouth will do for Martin Miller’s dry martini or Fever-Tree tonic, which uses original quinine sourced directly from India, for his g&t. And Six O’Clock are so concerned they even make their own Six O’Clock Indian Tonic Water for connoisseur consumers. To play the boutique gin game, the price is the starting clue; then the label may reveal some special extra botanicals. Once hooked, sip and taste thoughtfully to fi nd the subtle differences these enthusiasts have squeezed into their pride and joy. Enough variation to out- buff many a single malt whisky guru, I’ll wager! CY
cywinter 2011 83
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