Scotland - land of haggis, men in skirts and Scotch Whisky. The problem with the latter of these three things is it takes a long time to make it. Not the actual production, but to make a ten year old whisky, it takes ten years of maturation, and if you are a distiller, you don't have any income from these barrels for a decade. As a result, distilleries are looking at ways of making money whilst they wait for their whisky to mature, and there have been a lot of new Scottish gin brands appearing on the shelves.
The first to be released was Hendricks. This is made by William Grant & Sons, the company that makes Balvenie and Glenfiddich, and has the unique selling point of having cucumber as one of the major botanicals in the mix. Served with a wedge of cucumber, it still stands out from all other gins, with distinctive packaging and a marketing campaign that focuses on eccentricity and cucumbers. The second gin I tried was Caorunn from the Balmenach Distillery, which focuses on its Scottish roots, including heather, bog myrtle and dandelion and I finished my brief tour of Scottish gins with The Botanist from Islay distiller, Bruichladdich.
Hendricks (41.4%abv) A fresh, cucumber aroma and a bit of white flower coming off with some juniper. There is a bit of pepper and some violet coming through on the end of the nose, which is very nice. The palate has a pear and parma violet flavours with a little bitter spice, and a touch of cucumber skin on the back end. Very clean, gentle and easy drinking. 89pts
The Botanist (46%abv) Bright, lemon and orange peel with a little bit of juniper coming through. There is a peppery element emerging with some peach skin. Salty, with a pepper and hot spice coming through. Quite crude really, with a little bit of pepper on the finish. You really notice the alcohol. 86pts
My overall conclusion is that, neat, American gin wins hands down, but what about in that most classic of cocktail, the Gin & Tonic. I had ten G&T's made for me containing the nine artisan producer gins I've tried and also one made from Gordons. I tried them all blind, and here are my results.
10 Williams Chase - very chemically, very bad.
9 Caorunn - simple, easy drinking, a bit sweet.
8 DH Krahn - almondy, nice and herbal
7 Leopold's - Very fresh, clean
6 Fifty Pounds - A little spice, touch of sweetness but very nice
5 The Botanist - Well balanced, a little juniper is prominent
4 Hendricks - Smells like Irn Bru! Very tasty
3 Gordons - Fuller bodied, not too sweet, nice balance
2 Death's Door - Aniseedy, spicy with some cloves. Different & interesting
1 Sipsmith's - A savoury element, citrus & juniper. Classic G&T
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