when the sun is out although, I suspect, some degree of care
should be exercised. I imagine it would be very easy for several
bottles to simply vanish on a hot day!
this sloe gin was probably one of the
nicest I have tasted. Again the London
Dry Gin is used to start with. Once
distilled it is then left to rest on sloe
berries, which have been previously
frozen so as to break the skins. As sloe
berries are part of the plum family you
get dark fruit on the nose and cassis on
the palate. They, Sipsmith’s themselves,
describe their sloe gin as having a
‘wonderfully unique character’. It does.
In essence it is a warming red liqueur.
I don’t think they are far wrong when
they state, on their website, that this
is: “The ideal hip flask booster on a
wintry stroll”. Good idea!
5.
2.
Next up was the classic London Dry Gin. As already mentioned I
had already drunk this on a number of occasions before my visit;
but not neat!! This, along with the rest of the other gins tasted, was
drunk ‘solo’ (no tonic, no mixer, no ice and no fruit – just the gin).
Doing so is, actually, a great way of being able to smell and taste
the actual gin before anything else is put in the glass with it. As a
classic gin it is juniper led. Other botanicals include angelica root,
coriander seed, cassia bark, orris root, ground almond, cinnamon
bark, liquorice root, lemon peel and orange peel. The nose is fresh
with clear and obvious hints of citrus fruit and some floral notes.
On the palate the juniper is clear and obvious, but finely balanced
with some citrus and a touch of pepper. This, even neat, was a
beautifully balanced, delicious, smooth, aromatic, clean and even
slightly sweet gin. This is everything a great classic gin should be.
Don’t just think ‘G & T’ here (although it makes a great ‘G & T’),
but also martini's and other gin based cocktails. It can do the lot.
Finally the Sipsmith ‘Black Maple Gin Liqueur’. I thought, when I
heard this, it was going to be interesting. And so it proved. Again
we start with the classic London Dry Gin. This is then part smoked
and part infused with maple. This gives the liqueur a rich dark
golden colour. On the nose this smells sweet (almost confectionary
sweet). On the palate you get smooth caramel notes. Again, I am
not a massive fan of many liqueurs – but this was very nice. I even
came away from my visit with a bottle of this, in a nice little box,
accompanied as it was by a couple of recipes. Try a ‘Blueberry
Pancake Fizz’ (the liqueur mixed with the London Dry Gin, an
egg white, freshly squeezed lemon juice and some blueberries).
Alternatively an ‘Affogato’ (the liqueur, a shot of expresso and
vanilla ice cream).
THE SIPPING SOCIETY
After the tour, after the history lessons and after the tasting I thought
it was all over! Then someone mentioned the ‘Sipping Society’. This is
a gin club membership that gives members the opportunity to taste
different hand crafted gins every other month. Every other month the
latest hand crafted creations, from the Sipsmith laboratory, are bottled
and mailed to members. There is an annual fee of £180, or a bi-monthly
fee of £35 for this, but ultimately you will get a dozen or so different
gins each year (two every other month). These are all genuinely unique,
extraordinary, hand crafted gins. Did I join up? Of course!
THE VERDICT
1.
3.
4.
Next – ‘Lemon Drizzle Gin’ Wow! Now I love lemon drizzle cake,
and this was as near as you will get to one that can be poured into
a glass! Essentially we start with the classic London Dry Gin again,
but now with a lot of lemon ‘bits and bobs’ added. These lemon
‘bits and bobs’ include lemon verbena, lemon peel and what are
described as “vapour infused fresh lemons”. On the nose, as you
might guess, you get citrus notes and a lovely touch of sweetness.
On the palate you also get the lemon, but it is somehow subtly
zesty and not overpowering. It is on the finish that you really get
the lemon drizzle cake; a taste that lingers and lasts. This really is
tremendous and, as with the London Dry Gin, would work well
with martini's (why not have a crack at making a lemon martini?).
Next up – Sipsmith’s ‘Sloe Gin’. Now I will confess that I have never
been a huge fan of sloe gins. That is not to say that there are not
some great ones out there. There undoubtedly are and there are
many who will enjoy them. Notwithstanding I have to say that
2.
3.
4.
The Sipsmith range covers a number of different types of gin and
gin based liqueurs. They are all great examples of their type. More
to the point they are all wonderful examples of their type. You
can tell from the talk, the history lesson, the tour and the tasting
session that Sipsmith are proud of ‘their lot’. Frankly – so they
should be.
If you are in London a visit to the distillery is worth the trip. There
is a nearby tube station (Stamford Brook) followed by a ten minute
walk. Details of the tours and tastings are available, and the cost of
them can be found, on the Sipsmith website (www.sipsmith.com).
It is, in every sense of the word, money well spent.
But you don’t have to visit the distillery to enjoy their wonderful
gins and liqueurs. Today you can purchase them at many local
outlets or online (e.g. Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, M &
S, at many independent wine and spirit outlets, Amazon – the list
is endless). At the end of the day I can highly recommend their
beautifully crafted gins and liqueurs; so go and find them. You
won’t have to look too far, so successful have they been in their
relatively short life in the world of gin, to find their beautifully
labelled bottles.
If you are very adventurous, join the ‘Sipping Soc