Gin-tastic

"I don't know Kim that well but I know she likes gin" Sally Scott (2014) (courtesy of Courtney Macguire)....


Bearing this in mind I jumped at the chance to attend 'Toasting and tasting the gins of Scotland' ran by the Gin Club Scotland when invited by my former housemate Tracy.

Gin tasting booklet

The tasting was hosted at the Allanwater brewhouse - a real gem hidden away in the Bridge of Allan. It hosts several different ales and ciders on tap and hundreds of bottled ales/beers which line the walls! I'd recommend a visit if you're in to that sort of thing. They do also serve some wine and spirits!

Anyway back to the gin ...
Gin #1: Blackwood's gin. Having never been to a gin tasting before I wasn't sure to expect - full or half measures, mixer or water, spit or swallow! Well to answer: full, both and up to you :) We were given Fever Tree tonic for the Blackwood's and encouraged to add our own garnish from a selection including grapefruit, mint, chilli, lemon, lime and orange. I added grapefruit, orange, mint, lemon and lime - what can I say? It looked pretty.

Blackwood's gin

The Blackwood's was delicious, very easy drinking and the grapefruit especially tasted great as a garnish, one I will be looking out for when I go out next. Before we were allowed anymore we needed to do some 'nosing' of botanicals common to gin in order to warm us up. We were given a smelling stick and asked to describe what it reminded us of and what we thought it was. The six sticks were juniper, orange, cinnamon, vanilla, rose and cucumber. I got 4/6! I didn't get juniper because being a predominant botanical in gin I just said it smelt like gin! I also learnt that smelling coffee beans cleanses the olfactory palette so there's something that I didn't know before - maybe a useful tip?

Gin #2: Old Raj

This gin is 47% and is infused with saffron so has a yellowy colour making it look slightly like whiskey. No tonic allowed with this one, a dash of water only to preserve the taste.... this one was not for me. It burned in my mouth and was too strong with only water so I could not actually taste any flavours! One for spice lovers I think, it certainly gave off some heat. Down in one it was then. I rated it 'borderline ginadequate'.

Gin #3: Heather and Rose

43%, floral yet spicy. Another one with a yellow tinge. This one I liked, even with just water. It was reasonably light with no burning! Would be lovely with tonic, this is supposed to bring out the rose tones in the gin. Rating: 'very ginteresting'.

Gin #4: Darnley's View spiced gin

Juniper, nutmeg and cinnamon come to the fore in this 42.7% gin. As the name suggests it was spicy and warming but it did not burn like the Old Raj. Still, it was not to my taste and I needed tonic to get it down. A chunk of orange went nicely too. This was however a popular gin at my table so worth a try. Rating: 'borderline ginadequate'

Gin #5: Pickering's gin

Brewed in a 12 week or so old distillery in Summerhall, Edinburgh and we got to meet one of the three guys responsible for the production. They describe it as strongly aromatic in the mouth with strong hints of liquorice and cinnamon, slightly nutty notes and a sweet lavender like softness. I couldn't identify all that. To me tasting it neat it was very sharp and dry. Not a fan. But add tonic and it was very, very pleasant. Best served with pink grapefruit it was extremely easy to drink (almost dangerous) and another one I'll be on the lookout for. Pickering's recommend drinking it neat with ice and lemongrass.

Gin #6 (starting to feel very tipsy): This was a gin of choice from 40 or so bottles. I was wanting something with either citrus, cucumber or elderflower tones. The lady offered me Tanqueray No. 10 as it has a strong citrus element. This one was very sweet yet also light and suited me very well. I could drink this all night! Some of the other girls felt it was too sweet though so potentially not for everyone. 

So six gins in an hour and a half.... to the Jam Jar for much needed sustenance. Apologies if the descriptions have been too vague for your liking but my note making and memory dove tailed somewhat towards the end! A great night and good value for £18; would highly recommend. I found out about lots of gins I didn't know existed and could now describe my gin preferences more eloquently than 'Hendricks'. Now, where's the gin bar?

Love this quote.