Garden Grown Gin (700ml)

Note: the title of this product has changed from 'Distillery Botanica' to 'Garden Grown Gin'. It's the same liquid, produced in the same way, to the same recipe, by the same people.

Garden Grown Gin is produced at Distillery Botanica and employs a process known as enfleurage, a thousand-year-old technique. Traditionally it applies to flower petals - these are placed on glass trays containing a wax or animal fat called a 'corps'. This corps which is highly purified with no odour or water remaining absorbs the flavour and fragrance from the flowers. Every 24 hours the petals are removed from the tray and replaced with fresh ones. This may be repeated dozens of times per tray. The trays are stacked so that the tray on the top can trap the rising fragrance from the flowers on the tray below.

Once saturated with aromatics, the corps is referred to as the "pomade" (the most highly saturated pomade is called "pomade No. 36" because the frames have been charged with fresh flowers 36 times, the maximum during enfleurage). The next step is to break up the pomade in the presence of high strength neutral spirit which takes up the natural flower oils and leaves the spent fat behind.

At Garden Grown Gin, the aim is to extract the purest perfume from their chief botanical, Murraya, without the use of heat. This makes the delicate flower come alive with cues of jasmine, honeysuckle and orange blossom.

Distiller, Phillip Moore adds, "the gin also includes a rose enfleurage using an old fashioned Tea Rose from our garden. It is known as the Duchess de Brabant. Our garden also supplies Chamomile flowers which when distilled immediately on picking have a delicious apple character with a delightful bitter finish. To carry on the perfume allusion of enfleurage we also use orris root which is used in Chanel No 5. In perfume and gin orris is a fixative which creates harmony and also slows down the evaporation of the more volatile aromas. Orris has its own violet aroma. It enters the palate very sweetly and adds a richness and viscosity all over. On the finish it contributes a high quality bitter and an earthiness which is almost pastry like".

Tasting note: Crystal clear, shows good viscosity. Pure and ultra fresh with a juniper and black pepper base overlaid by sweet floral top notes. Aeration offers suggestions of orange blossom, rose petal and muted lavender and later hints of incense candles. Creamy yet vibrant entry with a seamless integration of juniper / herbal / floral / wax-like notes. Concludes tongue tingling, peppery, fresh, long. Delicate and multi-layered. Beautifully composed. 42% Alc./Vol.