RAISE A GLASS
THE world is totally upside down and higgledy-piggledy at the moment. But some things in life are guaranteed. One is that every January I bring you a my pick of gins. Welcome to my annual Ginuary selection.
This doesn’t mean I won’t share more gins in 2021 – in fact there will be more very soon! And if you’re on Dry January I’m sorry to disappoint and tease with this hit of alcohol. Forgive me.
My first pick is Whitley Neill Quince Gin (RRP £26). It is widely available, including at Waitrose and Ocado. There are a couple of good online deals at the moment, including The Bottle Club, (£19.99) and The Drop Store (£20). Botanicals include the required juniper, and then coriander seed, cassia bark, orris root, angelica root, liquorice and orange. It is of course, finished off with quince, and a glance at the Whitley Neill website tells me the quince has a strong Persian influence.
I hugely enjoyed this tipple, which is ripe, with a creamy mouthfeel of quince and pears. It is simply lovely on its own, with a chink chink of ice and no tonic water. My next up is the Co-op’s Irresistible London Dry Gin (£16, down from £17.50 until
February 2. The gin’s blend was chosen by Co-op members and includes Telicherry black pepper, lemon verbena, cardamom, cumin and rowanberry. It is also crafted by the UK’s only female master gin distiller, Joanne Moore.
I’ve not heard of Tellicherry before and apparently its a pepper that originates in southern India. The lemon verbena really shines through, with its peppery partner adding a perfect speck of spice.
Next, a gin from Japan.
135° East Gin (RRP £35, Ocado, Master of Malt, The Whiskey Exchange, Amazon) is so-called because of the
135 degrees meridian line which runs past the Kaikyo Distillery in the city of Akashi, where it is crafted.
It is created by master distiller Kimeo Yonezawa who has used traditional London Dry gin ingredients, with a sprinkle of Japanese botanicals. There’s even a touch of Kimeo’s sake, Japanese wine rice.
The result of this Japanese artisanal approach is a gin which delivers a spicy kick, with citrus notes. It’s a gin with a vibrant wake-up call on these cold, miserable days.
A gin with a mix of fruity and herbal notes is One Sage & Apple Gin (RRP £36, including Tesco, Amazon and online at its creators’ website, One Gin – thespiritofone.com).
Sales of One Gin help to provide clean water to some of the world’s poorest
communities, with 10% of the profit from each bottle sold going to The One Foundation.
Sage is one of my favourite herbs, apple a favourite fruit.
Here they create an aromatic combination which is crisp with orchard fruits, together with the savoury outdoor fresh addition of sage. It’s also quite femininely perfume-y – a touch of difference to the gin world.
Its parent – or maybe its sister or brother – in the One Gin distillery is One Sage Gin (RRP £38, Amazon, Ocado.com and selected retailers) which won gold at the International Wines and Spirit Competition.
Jane is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Find her on social media and online as One Foot in the Grapes.