The rebirth of the Ginaissance took the UK by storm, becoming one of the biggest success stories the industry has experienced.
Exotic summers and the newfound love for coloured gins have seen the VIP members club and even the little village pub house a resplendent gin library in all rainbow shades. Sales in 2017 tallied close to £2bn with no sign of letting up, with an annual golden fortune estimated at over £3bn.
The lockdown has released the cocktail maestro within many of us and, in turn, an increase in gin home deliveries. We’ve tried and tested the below four fabulous gems, which can be delivered to your door, and are aimed at adding an extra sparkle to your gin collection.
Moatwood 1485
This offering is a nod to Clement Higham, an architect who revolutionised the industry with his stunning country house built in 1485, using revolutionary beams specially chosen in Moat Wood. In the very heart of the estate sat a distillation malt house amongst an abundance of fresh wildflower fields and medicinal herbs.
Centuries later, Gyffordes Distillers Ltd, armed with the experimental passion synonymous with Clement Higham had a mission to create a unique handcrafted gin. Through the combinations of beautifully British botanicals such as sweet orange, elder, aloe and, not forgetting its star attraction, bountiful supplies of borage surrounding the house’s lush grounds, we had Moatwood 1485.
The herbal botanicals lend a fresh, crisp and delicately smooth flavour, combining light fruity notes with a dab of ginger, rounded off with a light sweetness of cucumber from the borage.
Since going live in 2019, Moatwood has made its presence in the glamping sites of Glastonbury, Summertime in the grounds of Hyde Park and The Game Fair at Hatfield House, with primary sales in Bermuda and the UK and further global ambitions.
A selection of simple lockdown cocktail recipes is available through the site and through social media, although it’s highly recommended to enjoy neat over ice, soda or tonic and finished with a cucumber ribbon.
RRP: £29.99
Where to buy: moatwood.co.uk
Wilde Irish
If you could speak Gin, it would sound like poetry. If you could drink poetry, it would taste like Gin.
Encompassing exquisite extravagance, a rogue twist and philosophy of pleasure, the inspiration behind Wilde Irish centres around the daringly dashing Oscar Wilde, who gave us The Importance of being Ernest.
Distilled in Ireland with a distiller’s intuition, Wilde Irish held no bars to create a new breed of premium gin, with the painstaking, hand distillation process in small batches with two copper pot stills. This followed with the selection of ten Irish ingredients, curated like a winning cast ensemble of a play. The juice of whole sweet oranges, sharpness of red grapefruit with kicks of coriander, enriched with signature ingredients of bitter orange peel and wild mountain Irish heather, give us a gin of woody, fruity and floral depths that is really quite special.
The gorgeous book style bottle in jewel amethyst purple plays homage to Wilde’s careful eye for unparalleled attire, inspiring fashion legend, Alexander McQueen with his Fall 2017 collection. The icing on the cake rests with the intricate bespoke cap designed to resemble Wilde’s cane.
Sponsoring the Dublin Fringe Festival, followed by their official lavish launch at the five star Merrion Hotel in October 2019 and a home in the likes of the swanky House on Leeson Street, Wilde Irish is set to shake up the industry and emerge a legend.
Glorious recipes including a Wilde Martini or Wilde 75 are on the website and social media, however, is best enjoyed with your favourite tonic, mint and a squeeze of lime.
RRP: €49
Where to buy: wildeirishgin.com
Penrhos Gin
A heart-warming story of two gin-loving fruit farmers and friends, Richard Williams and Charles Turner, embarking on a solid partnership, strengthened by the backing of their wives, to bring us a delicious, handmade creation, reflective of the magical surroundings of Herefordshire.
Blessed with farms of mouthwatering cherry and apple orchards, next to blossoming plants of blackberries and strawberries, the duo invested their heart and souls with two years of research and recipe taste tests on a one litre Still, moving to a slow and gentle, small batch production in a magnificent barn held, 147 litre copper pot still.
The beautifully home-grown and locally-foraged ripe fruits were put through a 24-hour soaking process, with a selection of botanicals added for a further 24 hours, which include pink pepper, cardamon and real rose petals to combine a fusion of essential oils and heady fragrances.
After 48 hours of resting, and encased in solid large bottles autographed by the duo, we have three tantalising gins starting with their classic original, a 2019 Sip Awards gold winner with a plump ripeness of blueberries, smooth sweetness of honey and and hints of delicate rose.
Next follows their rhubarb, encompassing the sublime flavours of the original gin with a stunningly pure, red rhubarb juice, tangy yet sweet and soft with herbal hints.
The personal favourite goes to the apple and elderflower offering, a delicate floral sweetness married with the crisp apples plucked from the blossoming orchards, making this a refreshingly smooth match made in heaven.
The beauty behind Penrhos lies in their values to remain true and loyal to their hand-crafted farming routes in the generations to come, bringing real meaning to the word family.
Delightful videos of cocktail recipes can be found through the Penrhos Instagram page however, nothing works better than to savour the gorgeous flavours of this beautiful gins with tons of ice, original tonic and a helping of fresh fruits.
RRP: £34
Where to buy: penrhosspirits.co.uk
Bloom Gin
Behind Bloom Gin lies an all female team, all of whom were armed with a bag full of skills and infectious personality to give a much needed shake up to the gin world with a Vogue cover-worthy creation. The brand encompasses sass, style and substance, from their one-of-a-kind recipes, to the sleek silhouettes of the pattern-engraved glass bottles.
The mastermind behind this beauty sat with Joanne Moore, the master distiller behind illustrious brands such as G&J Distillers, Berkeley Square and, of course Bloom, making her a head-turning presence in a male dominated industry.
Simplicity maintained key with the distillation process in North-West England, using a classic copper pot with the blending of fresh spring water. The luscious medley of select ingredients for their London dry gin of honeysuckle nectar, chamomile and pomelo sends an aromatic floral calmness, also entwined into a velvety smooth richness with naturally sweet and citrus notes.
Bloom has emerged the wedding favourite with their original classic and flavoured gins, lining their shelves with a collection of glossy awards including the London Spirit Competition, International Spirit Challenge and Global Travel Retail Spirits Masters. The limited edition jasmine and rose pink gin transports you through an exhilarating flavour experience of natural rose petals from Morocco and exotic jasmine from East Asia, whilst the citrus twang and floral lightness of lemon and elderflower liqueur, inspired by the grand wedding cake at Prince Harry and Meghan’s illustrious wedding, adds a touch of royal elegance to your prosecco flute.
Showing no signs of letting up on gin domination, Bloom have unveiled their new fruit and floral concoctions in passion fruit and vanilla, and raspberry and rose, right on time for those scorching summer sessions.
A plethora of Instagram heaven recipes float through their website from a ripe pear Bellini, exotic Eastern Rose or a sublime Royal Toast, although this proves just as delightful in its simplest form.
RRP: £24.50
Where to buy: bloomgin.com
