Gin O’Clock – Part Seventy One
Well, it had to happen. The crush is such that in order to stand out from the crowd created by the ginaissance distillers have to become increasingly more inventive in their marketing spin. If you are based in the West Midlands, why not throw your cloth cap in the direction of the hit TV show, the Peaky Blinders?
I have always been slightly baffled by the seeming success of a TV series, now four series long and a fifth in the pipeline, that revels in the antics of a group of unsavoury gangsters based in Birmingham who, through violence, murder and corruption, reach the summit of their particular greasy pole. Still, the name of Peaky Blinder, derived from their principal MO of injuring their opponents with blades concealed in their peaked caps, is firmly established in the nation’s consciousness and associated with England’s second city.
Sadler’s are based in Lye, just outside of Stourbridge, and can claim to be in the heart of the Black Country. Established in 1900 they have made their name amongst locals and real aficionados around the country with their fine beers, well worth seeking out if you get the chance. Now they have turned their hand to spirits, a whisky and rum and a Spiced Dry Gin, all under the brand name of Peaky Blinder.
After a night out on the lash in the area, the perfect accompaniment to a skinful of Sadler’s finest is a Balti, a fiery curry served up in a thin, pressed-steel wok. The idea behind the gin, according to Chris Sadler is to combine the glamour of the gin cocktail era of the 1920s when the Thomas Selby gang was in its pomp with the bold flavours of the Balti. Add to the mix a dash of the Blinders’ no-nonsense, whole-hearted approach to life and business and you will get the impression that this is not a spirit for the faint-hearted.
The bottle is clear and bell-shaped with a wax cap and cork stopper. The labelling is striking in its clarity with bold print and a laconic use of words, inevitably including an image of the Sadler’s brewery and a rather morose and fearsome man wearing a hat, a Peaky Blinder, I presume. The front label also informs me that the spirit is “perfectly balanced with exotic spices and botanicals”. We will see. Inevitably it has been produced “by order of Sadler’s Peaky Blinder”.
There are nine botanicals in the mix but as to what they are, the would-be consumer and toper is left somewhat in the dark. You can be a bit obsessive about these things but it is nice to know, it makes the tasting more interesting as you try to identify and tick off each component. Sometimes, though, it is nice just once in a while to have to rely on your own taste buds which means you should drink this before your Balti!
To the nose there is an immediate hit of juniper, always a welcome smell to my nostrils, but also elements of peppery spice and a rather gentle sweetness, perhaps cassia. In the mouth there is an immediate fiery sensation as the juniper and spices take centre stage, there is a hint of ginger there, but the sweeter elements fight back, producing a rather pleasing, balanced spirit. The aftertaste is long, dry with citrus elements to the fore.
If you like your gins juniper led and spicy, then this is one for you. And at 40% ABV its strength is in its taste rather than its alcoholic punch. Like a lenient judge I will even forgive them for their cheesy marketing pitch.
Until the next time, cheers!
