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Its my brother Bday soon and he likes Gin. Im not a big drinker and I dont know much about Gin. However I think I might get him a decent bottle for a gift but I wouldnt know where to start. Budget about £50 - any recommendations?
Thanks
G 1&9
I've always found free gin to be the best gin.
[url= http://www.havendistillery.co.uk/ ]The lemon verbena gin from here[/url] was nice
My current gin of choice is [url= http://www.littlebirdgin.com/#intro ]Little Bird[/url]
Slight hints of citrus which really come through. I'd recommend having orange rather than lemon in it as it really brings out the pink grapefruit flavours.
I've also recently sampled [url= http://masonsyorkshiregin.com/ ]Masons Yorkshire Gin[/url] and [url= https://www.whitleyneill.com/about ]Whitley Neill[/url] which are both very nice too.
Silent Pool gin is very nice
For something a bit different Masons do a Yorkshire Tea infused Gin which is surprisingly nice.
Trevethan gin is also a nice one, and comes in a nice bottle so would make a nice looking gift.
For £50 my choice would be Isle of Harris gin. You can't really go wrong though.
Durham Gin is interesting.
Currently my favourite
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Or alternatively how about an afternoon/evening on a Gin Journey tour sampling some diffent gins with a distillery tour too?
[url= http://www.ginjourney.com/ ]http://www.ginjourney.com/[/url]
If you book a London one you may get Bugpowderdustjnr as your guide, he really does know his stuff when it comes to other spirits and gin (hes worked a few years in the gin industry and recently did a 3/4 month North and South American trip around many distilleries of varied spirits, this is his site of their trip and places he visited, they are still editing down more episodes, [url= http://www.theworldsip.com/ ]http://www.theworldsip.com/[/url])
Gin Mare is very well regarded (olive and thyme flavours) and is reasonably easily available. I usually choose that at a poncy bar if it's available.
Cadenheads old raj (the 55% one) Tenu Finnish gin or Manchester gin would all be good choices. Lovely drop
The Pinkster - Member
My current gin of choice is Little Bird
Oh dear.
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Had some Silent Pool the other day and very nice it was, too.
I'm a fan of Ophir - May not be boutique, but very much enjoy the peppery twinge.
Where does your brother live? See if you can find him a gin that's made locally. Always nice when you can give a present and say 'that's just made up the road'.
Newton House gin, made in Somerset round the corner from me;
http://www.newtonhousegin.co.uk/
If he's a gin and tonic drinker get him some decent tonic too. Spend less on the gin if needs be. Don't ruin good gin with cheap or over flavoured tonic
https://bramleyandgage.com/product/distillers-tonic-original-slab-of-24-1/
Martin Miller's very nice.
[url= https://hiltingbury-still.co.uk/ ]Hiltingbury Gin[/url]
[url= http://hawthornsgin.com/ ]Hawthorns[/url]
are the two most interesting i've had recently and don't own.
What other flavours does he like - it's often easier to take this as a cue than 'he likes gin'.
Im going here in a few weeks
http://craftydistillery.com/
And this place is fairly local to me (Herefordshire) and makes fantastic vodkas and gins
http://chasedistillery.co.uk/
Slingsby Rhubarb is my biggest seller followed by Brockmans, ^Pinkster also fairly popular.
3 bottles of Gordon's and have £8 change?
[url= https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/3887540/this-14-bottle-of-gin-beat-an-artisan-tipple-that-sells-at-almost-twice-the-price-in-this-weeks-tried-and-tasted-test/ ]https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/3887540/this-14-bottle-of-gin-beat-an-artisan-tipple-that-sells-at-almost-twice-the-price-in-this-weeks-tried-and-tasted-test/[/url]
Not that widely available yet, but worth searching out.
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I met the owner of the company whilst he was out in the razz in Brighton, boy can that man party.
Harris Gin along with some pink grapefruit.
yum yum
KNow nothing of Gin, but Aldi £10 bottle recently won at International Wine & Spirits Competition
[url= https://inews.co.uk/essentials/lifestyle/food-and-drink/aldi-10-gin-named-best-world/ ]https://inews.co.uk/essentials/lifestyle/food-and-drink/aldi-10-gin-named-best-world/[/url]
^^^
And to the tonic snobs who seem to think hipster tonic makes the gin 'come alive' 🙂 you can't beat schweppes
[url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinkadvice/11466577/The-perfect-GandT-whats-the-best-tonic-to-pair-with-gin.html ]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinkadvice/11466577/The-perfect-GandT-whats-the-best-tonic-to-pair-with-gin.html[/url]
Nick Strangeway and Dick Bradsell, both revered as almost god-like by London’s bar pros – choose Schweppes over all others. “It’s just what tonic water should taste like,” says Dick. “I think it’s never been bettered.”
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This stuff is great, and made by a fellow MTBer if it helps.
Also now available in England via [url= http://www.villeneuvewines.com/product/electric-spirit-co-achroous-gin/ ]Villeneuve Wines[/url]
this is also delicious!!
[img] http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/media/2014/02/Pink-Pepper-Gin-Umami-Vodka.jp g" target="_blank">http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/media/2014/02/Pink-Pepper-Gin-Umami-Vodka.jp g"/> [/img]
My girlfriend is a gin fan and in the house right now we have:
Brooklyn
Botanist
Caorunn
Lussa
Bulldog
Harris
Brockmans
Edinburgh Gin Rhubarb and Ginger Liqueur
I am more of a rum fan myself 🙂
Where are you based? We did a Sipsmith Distillery tour near Hammersmith and it was great.
Silent Pool is very good. I also like Nordes which is a Spanish grape gin and Mahon Gin from Menorca is very good, just brought home several bottles and it's lovely stuff.
Thomas Dakin
Eden mill hop gin
Sir Robin of Locksley or if you're a cheapskate Aldi London Dry Gin
Cotswold Gin with pink grapefruit.
The Botanist.
Just finished my first bottle of Martin Millers and was pleasantly surprised. Didn't need lime, cucumber etc., fine with just a good tonic.
Heard good things about Pink Pepper, but yet to try a bottle.
Silent Pool +1 then you keep the bottle and stick Aldi gin in later.
The Botanist +2 here. Lovely stuff.
I also like Nordes which is a Spanish grape gin
I've been really pushing this to Brockmans drinkers as an alternative (similar style and also goes well with ginger ale IMO, like Brockmans). I didn't realise it was a grape gin tho, thanks for the heads up.
Mrs CFH and friends returned from a gin tasting at our local wine merchants singing the praises of
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Made with Clitoria Ternatea, donchaknow. Turns pink with tonic.
Stoner. Crafty were at Kirry 10 the other week, we sampled a few of their gin and flavour additions 😀
If you are in the area;
http://bladnoch.com/
http://www.solwayspirits.co.uk/spirits.html
https://www.sulwathbrewers.co.uk/
https://www.annandaledistillery.com/
Dalton Pottery are I believe also doing gin but I can't find any up to date info
You may already know all of the above......
Some favourites of mine...
-50 Pound (actually costs a lot less, very easy to drink)
-Martin Millers (easily the crispest Gin I've tasted, tastes good with anything, but a good tonic and ice and a slice is always a winner)
-Opihr (very strong oriental flavours, overpowering for more than a couple but very enjoyable)
-Hortus (Lidl's own made by same people who make Opihr, not as strong as Opihr, very nice to drink, and at £16 a bottle a bloody bargain!)
-Da Mhile Seaweed Gin (try it, seriously!)
-Plymouth (this stuff really is as good as everyone says it is)
-Chase Williams Elegant 48 Apple Gin (made with Hereford Cider apples, and you can taste it, and at 48% it will knock your socks off!)
-Chase Williams Sloe & Mulberry Gin (expected to hate this as don't like especially flavoured gins, actually very nice! Drink it neat though at 29%)
-Sainsburys Blackfriars Taste the Difference Gin (made by same people as Martin Millers and remarkably similar tasting, a bargain at about £14 a bottle!)
-Whitley Neill (quite sharp this one, it's very Marmite, some people really hate it but I quite like it, best with a slice and maybe a lightly flavoured tonic)
-Gin Mare (as mediterranean as it looks and sounds, very nice!)
Those are just some of the many I've sampled so far this year that have left an impression. I've tried most of the usual suspects too, and to be honest, I like most of them too, but the above list have stood out. If I had to pick one though, it would probably be Plymouth.
3 bottles of Gordon's and have £8 change?
That Sun review is akin to saying "Stella is the best lager, cos in our blind test, none of us could tell the difference"... Well, some people CAN tell the difference! Don't get me wrong, if there's no other option I'll have a Gordon's, but unlike many others it NEEDS a good tonic and a hefty slice to make it enjoyable. Gordons with a cheap tonic really is pretty harsh!
-Chase Williams Sloe & Mulberry Gin (expected to hate this as don't like especially flavoured gins, actually very nice! Drink it neat though at 29%)
Chase sent me a free bottle last year, it's not gin, right?, it's sloe gin liqueur, but I subsequently bought me Mum a bottle at Xmas, it's very nice.
soulrider - Member
Harris Gin along with some pink grapefruit.
Dunno about the pink grapefruit, but Harris gin is brilliant.
Monkey 47 is my 'special' gin of choice. Possibly a better gift for a Gin lover would be an evening at https://www.theginstitute.com
Not cheap but a lot of fun - you get plied with copious amounts of super strong G&Ts whilst learning all about the history of gin, and then get to go into the botanicals room, taste them all and then mix your own small batch gin! The best thing though is that they then record your recipe and you can order it online for evermore.
You leave with a bottle of their own Portobello No 171 Gin and your own. I think it's great value.
I found silent pool a bit Meh! bit overrated, great bottle though.
I'm a big fan of Orkney Gin Johnsmas, it has a hint of turkish delight in my mind which is bizarre because I cannot stand that stuff but love this gin
[url= https://www.masterofmalt.com/gin/orkney-gin-company/orkney-gin-company-johnsmas-gin/ ]Master of Malt Link[/url]
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Slingsby Rhubarb is my biggest seller
I had some of this with Fever Tree Tonic over the summer - very nice.
Favourite is Plymouth.
This is what Fevertree Tonic was invented for.
Best with lime.
The Botanist is worth a try.
No 3 Gin - regularly voted worlds best
My sister used to work for one of the worlds largest if not largest spirits companies. To test quality they used to pour a double measure into a large glass and let it sit at room temperature for 8 hours. Cheap gins tended to "fall apart" that said if you are pouring 300 ml of tonic in and drinking immediately I'd suggest the gin matters less than the tonic. However if you are making a gin martini then that is a different story!
Stoner. Crafty were at Kirry 10 the other week, we sampled a few of their gin and flavour additionsIf you are in the area;
http://bladnoch.com/
http://www.solwayspirits.co.uk/spirits.html
https://www.sulwathbrewers.co.uk/
https://www.annandaledistillery.com/
Dalton Pottery are I believe also doing gin but I can't find any up to date info
Sulwath do a gin? I'm looking forward to a few pints of criffel at the weekend.