Never Never Triple Juniper Gin
I should start out by declaring an interest. I worked with Tim Boast when he followed that well-worn path that Aussies do to Never Never and ended up in London. Working in financial services can be dispiriting and it is good to see that now back Down Under he is doing something useful. Together with friends Sean Baxter and George Georgiadis he founded Never Never Distilling which operates out of McLaren Vale in South Australia. Their mission is to remind drinkers that gin is a drink that is all about juniper, music to my ears.
I have long been arguing that the fundamental concept of gin as a drink is being rapidly debased by garish, sweet drinks where the principal constituent that defines it as a gin, juniper, is barely discernible. There clearly is a market for drinks of this kind, but it is not gin. The legal definition of a gin is that it must be made from ethyl alcohol and flavoured predominantly with juniper, and other botanicals, and must be bottled with a minimum ABV of not less than 37.5% The problem is that there is no legal definition of what predominantly means in this context, although common sense, never a good mixer with the law, suggests that it should be the most influential flavour.
Anyway, I am all in favour of anything that seeks to put juniper back into its rightful place. But Never Never Distilling goes one step, or perhaps that should be two steps, further with their Triple Juniper Gin in that rather like triple-cooked chips, they use three different processes for adding the juniper. First, it is macerated in the spirit for 24 hours before it is filtered out, then fresh juniper is added to the macerated spirit and distilled, and then the vapour basket contains yet more juniper. I close my eyes and think I have gone to Neverland.
Coming in a slim, clear glass bottle which looks like a small wine bottle, the labelling is distinctive, yet arresting. The cap is wood with an artificial stopper and at the top of the neck is a dark blue band with stars on it and the legend “Never Never” underneath. The labelling at the front takes the form of a diamond, the upper half an orange colour with the distillery’s name in white and the bottom half, an almost lunar landscape etched in white against a blue background.
The name, Never Never, refers to the vast unknown beyond the horizon – where I live it is just Basingstoke – but to the Australians a journey into the Never Never is to step into the unknown. It is this spirit of daring and adventure that is picked up in the verbiage at the back of the bottle which tells me that the guys of Never Never Distilling Co “embrace the journey into the unknown, the trail traversed by a daring few. To the star chasers and the wonder seekers, sate your thirst for adventure with our fearless spirit”. I have been warned.
It would be wrong, though, to characterise the gin as just a pure hit of juniper. It is surprisingly much more complex and subtle, using coriander, angelica, orris root, pepper berry, and cinnamon to good effect. Citrus elements are provided by orange and pomelo, which are detectable to the nose, giving the intense hit of juniper even greater depth. In the glass, the spirit is clear, and to my surprise the initial taste is that of citrus before the juniper steps in, with earthy and spicier notes provided by the traditional botanicals that have been selected. The aftertaste is long, full of juniper and slightly earthy.
With an ABV of 43% it packs quite a punch. My bottle, though, was only 50cl and so it takes enormous willpower not to recharge my glass. It is an impressive gin, well worth tracking down and once you have sampled this spirit which celebrates the vigour and distinctive taste of the juniper, it will change your perception of some of the concoctions that masquerade as gin. The revolution may be starting here.
Until the next time, cheers!
