Gin o’Clock – Part Thirty Four
One of the pleasures of members of the family knowing about my explorations of the ginaissance is that they seek out unusual gins for me to try from places that they visit. One such was a bottle of Ibz Premium Gin, which is only available for direct sale in the Balearic island of Ibiza. Such is the power and the reach of the internet, though, I’m sure it can be ordered online from some of the more enterprising wholesalers around. It is produced by Familia Mari Mayans who are to be found at Sant Antoni de Portmany.
The Familia have been producing liqueurs and spirits for around 130 years and gin for around 50. However, they decided in 2010 to make a premium gin to take advantage of the surge in interest in gin. They began experimenting with various combinations of plants, fruits and aromatic herbs before, in 2012, hitting on their preferred recipe and launching the hooch on to the market. The base spirit is a pure grain alcohol to which the juniper berries are added in a copper still. Next come the botanicals, sourced from the island to give it a distinctive Mediterranean flavour, namely thyme leaves, fresh rosemary and citrus peels.
The gin comes in a distinctive, cylindrical bottle with an artificial cork stopper. Slightly irritatingly, the neck of the bottle is narrowed which makes pouring the gin a longer process than it might otherwise be the case but probably makes it ideal for optics. There are no labels on the bottle. Instead, a design has been etched into the glass with acid using green and black inks, giving the bottle a greenish hue, and features thyme and rosemary.
To the nose it has a distinctive aroma of juniper and citrus and the taste does not disappoint, with citrus and spice to the fore and a glorious spicy aftertaste. At 38% ABV it as the lower end of the gin strength spectrum but with a splash of your favourite tonic, makes for a distinctive and refreshing drink. A definite hit!
Our next gin is Two Birds Countryside London Dry Gin, which is made in batches of 100 bottles from a 25 litre handmade copper pot still in the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough. It is not to be confused with Two Birds Artisan Spirits of Michigan. This is a classic London gin with the traditional set of botanicals – juniper, citrus fruit., coriander and orris root – to which is added an unnamed countryside botanic. To the nose it has a very distinctive and pronounced juniper aroma but to the taste it is more subtle than some of the more straightforward London gins. The aftertaste is quite spicy, not unpleasantly so, but lingers with you for a while.
The bottle is a dumpy, cylindrical shape with a screwcap. Rather like the bottle of Ibz, the information contained on the bottle is etched into it using blue principally as a background and white for the lettering. You won’t be surprised to learn that there are two birds on the lettering, one atop the W and one perched on the bottom of the S. The ABV is 40% and whether drunk neat or with a mixer, its quality shines through. It is a well-balanced gin where everything within it plays its part well. If your taste inclines towards the more traditional type of gin, this is highly recommended.
