The idea for St. Giles Gin came when professional diver Simon and his wife Alison were enjoying a range of gins at home. As a diver, Simon has travelled around the globe, and it soon became a habit for him to bring a bottle of gin from all his travels to sample at home. On […]
History You might have heard about genever, and how gin making started in Holland. But in fact, gin production can be traced back to 11th-century Italy, with many believing it was the Benedictine monks who first began distilling juniper spirits in a monastery in beautiful Salerno. The monks combined the base spirit with herbs, spices, […]
Long gone are the days of Jägermeister and Red Bull. The brand has gone through an image change and ditched the syrupy energy drinks. I had the pleasure to meet with a Jägermeister representative to find out what the hype is. We met at the JägerHaus, which itself was pretty impressive (live music, DJs and […]
The location of the Hepple Estate is almost made for gin lovers as there are many unique botanicals growing in the wild, and the water running through the Northumberland National Park is some of the purest in Britain. Some of the botanicals used in Hepple Gin are in fact foraged from the Hepple Estate. There […]
It was only four years ago when the ‘family’ of Family of Hounds tried their first G&T in the countryside in the UK. Needless to say, they fell in love with this quintessentially British drink and made it their mission to test several gins to experience the different flavours and botanicals. They learned what they […]
There are many gin events taking place across the UK and beyond throughout the year, but with World Gin Day (09th June this year) getting closer, it is a great time to talk about how to prepare for your next gin festival.
With so much controversy over how many distilleries hide behind misleading labels indicating where their product is actually made, the Arbikie Distillery is a breath of fresh air in more ways than one. Based in a beautiful part of Scotland, Arbikie is one of the few distilleries genuinely making their spirits from scratch. In their pursuit […]
Blackwoods gins and vodka come from Shetland, off the north coast of Scotland. Due to the intense weather changes of this northern part of Scotland, only specific plant species survive and flourish there. The area has long, stormy winters and only very short summers. Each year the weather will determine which botanicals are available and […]
There was a time when women drinking whisky were considered to have low standards, but for men drinking whisky was a sign of a true man. Today, women drinking spirits is no biggie; it is considered sexy when you know what you like, whether it is asking for a specific whisky or how you like […]