The liquor originated as a medicine and transformed from an army remedy to a mass-produced booze in the Victorian era. Once referred to colloquially as Dutch Courage or Mother’s Ruin, Gin is now one of the most elegant, trendy and popular spirits in the world. With artisanal distillers creating countless new varieties and increasingly unusual recipes and bartenders creating quirky mixes, there’s no end to the options for what you can do from Gin.
Along with this taste for gin, there’s been a growth in the attraction towards the beverage’s distilleries and appeal for tours. Northern European Countries offer the greatest selection with London being the capital of Gin. Scotland is known to be the largest producer of Gin.
Plymouth Gin – England’s Oldest Distillery
Plymouth Gin is a traditional Gin variety that comes from the port city of Plymouth in South-west England. It is a lighter-bodied gin that is more focused on citrus notes. Only one distiller has the license to produce it under Plymouth, Coates & Co operating from the classic Black Friars Distillery. It is the oldest working distillery in England.
The Black Friars Distillery is considered a National Monument as it was built in the early 1400s. The most intact part of the distillery is the Refectory Room, a medieval hall with a fine hull-shaped timber roof built in 1431. It was formerly a monastery inhabited by the Black Friars. It’s one of the oldest buildings in Plymouth and is protected as a cultural heritage site.
The History of the Plymouth Gin Distillery
The Pilgrim Fathers spent their last night in England here in 1620. It was from the distillery they made the short walk down to the harbour to set sail on the Mayflower on their great voyage to start a new life in America, where they founded a new Plymouth. The Mayflower ship forms Plymouth Gin's trademark label today. Black Friars Distillery is indisputably the oldest working gin distillery with records of a 'malthouse' on the premises dating back to 1697. The Plymouth Coates & Co was established in 1793 and the distilling of Plymouth Gin began which is carried out to this day by the original recipe.
Visit The Plymouth Gin Distillery
The distillery hosts a gift shop and a bar lounge in the Refectory Room. There are regular distillery tours carried out that relive the history of gin and the distillery with an overview of the process as well as tasting sessions. The tour also offers a complimentary miniature of Plymouth gin or alternatively a glass of Gin & Tonic on the house. If you like to know more about the Plymouth Gin Distillery and its products, you can check out its official website here.
Hernö Gin – Sweden’s Most Awarded Distillery
There Are Power And Great Beauty In Solitude
Hernö Gin is the world’s most awarded craft gin producer that is the result of an organic and handcrafted process. It was the first gin distillery to be opened in Sweden in 2011. The distillery is situated in the middle of nowhere in the countryside, but yet a strong spot on the map of the gin world. The village of Dala has a natural beauty inspiring to create and make dreams come true. A perfect recipe for perfection, a combination of soil for purity and passion.
Hernö Gin is created with eight organic botanicals from all over the world that result in a clear spirit made from Swedish winter wheat and water from the deep wells in Dala, naturally filtered by geology created during the ice age. To derive the maximum flavour possible from the natural filtering of water, Hernö Gin is not separately chill filtered. It has a round and smooth taste, with a distinct juniper character, fresh citrus notes and a unique floral complexity. Pronounced in elegance and rich in flavour, the gin created by Hernö Gin is so palatable and smooth that they are perfect to enjoy neat.
Visit The Hernö Gin Distillery
The Hernö Gin distillery mints a unique membership coin every year which serves as a club membership identity as well as a memorable collection. Here you can enjoy delicate lunch food, Swedish fika and Hernö Gin cocktails. The in-house cocktail bar, guided distillery tours and gin-tasting sessions are open every day throughout the summer season. Hernö Gin is open for visiting this summer from 26th June 2023 to 9th August 2023. Off the season, Hernö Gin conducts guided tours twice a month with cocktail workshops as well. If you like to know more about the Hernö Gin Distillery and its products, you can check out its official website here.
Bombay Sapphire – Most Famous Gin In The World
The most popular gin by choice all over the world is the classical blue crystal bottle of the Bombay Sapphire gin. The Bombay Sapphire Distillery is situated on the historical site of the water-powered Laverstoke Mill in Hampshire, England. The mill was one of the sites used to manufacture banknotes for the glorious British Empire in the Victorian era. In the 1960s, the paper mill ceased all operations and after decades of decisions on what to do with the premises, the Bombay Spirits Company purchased the Mill in 2010.
The proprietor Dakin family purchased a still, and adapted it to separate the exotic botanicals from the neutral grain spirit, capturing the flavours of the botanicals in the vapour – an artisanal gin distillation process now known as Vapour Infusion, and still faithfully used by Bombay Sapphire today.
Visit The Bombay Sapphire Distillery
Bombay Sapphire conducts regular guided tours showcasing the history of the Laverstoke Mill and Bombay Sapphire along with gin-tasting sessions and their exclusive mixology masterclasses that would turn you into an expert home mixologist. If you like to know more about the Bombay Sapphire Distillery and its products, you can check out its official website here.
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