Colombo No 7 Gin
On a recent visit to Constantine Stores, the spiritual home of Drinkfinder UK, I picked up a bottle of Colombo No 7 Gin, which has a fascinating backstory, a tale of Anglo-Sri Lankan collaboration. The story starts in 1924 when Carl de Silva Wijeyeratne founded the Rockland Distillery, the first on the island of Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, to distil the local firewater, Arack, an alcoholic drink made from fermented coconut flower sap. I have tried it and it is delicious, if a bit fiery.
During the Second World War, with shipments of supplies hazardous, the British forces, anxious to maintain their stock of gin, asked the distillery to make gin. However, as the traditional botanicals that go into a distillate were hard to come by, for the same reasons as gin was scarce, a recipe was developed using local botanicals such as Sri Lankan curry leaves, cinnamon, and ginger.
Fast forward to 2004 and the catastrophic tsunami which devastated the littoral regions of the island. Carl’s grandson, Amal, joined the distillery to rebuild the business and decided to recreate the precise wartime gin recipe that his grandfather had developed. However, as regulations relating to the production of alcohol were tightening on the island, he decided to collaborate with Langley Distillery, a wholesale distillers based in Oldbury in the West Midlands which operates on the old Crosswells Brewery site. The result is a gin of distinctly Sri Lankan origin and using Sri Lankan botanicals distilled and bottled in the heart of England’s Black Country.
The No 7 in its name does not refer to it being the seventh iteration of the recipe but the number of botanicals that are used in the distillation. For the record they are juniper, angelica, coriander, liquorice root, Sri Lankan cinnamon bark, curry leaves, and ginger root. What particularly intrigued me was the use of curry leaves and whether they would overpower and dominate the taste of the spirit. I enjoy a curry but I am not sure I would want to drink one.
Needless to say, my fears were ill-founded. Of course, it is there and brings a warm and comforting note to the nose but in the glass this proves to be a well-balanced gin with citrus and more than a hint of ginger working well with the earthier botanicals and leaving a tantalizing spicy tingle on the tongue. Unusual, for sure, but with an ABV of 43.1%, it makes for a complex, light and bright gin.
The bottle is made from clear glass, cylindrical with round shoulders and a long neck leading to a gold cap with artificial stopper. The labelling is primarily white lettering on a dark green background and there is very much a Sri Lankan feel to the artwork. The gold in the centre of the front label stands out and the rear label informs me that ingredients come from the exotic cinnamon gardens of Colombo.
If you like something unusual, this is certainly worth looking out for.
Until the next time, cheers!
