Cocktail Of The Week – Bloody Thyme

The latest Cocktail of the Week by collaborator and Head Barmen at the Vineyard at Stockcross David Coveney is an adaption of his own ‘The Bloody Roesemary’ that replaced the vodka found within  a Bloody Mary with house infused rosemary gin. This time though he changed the rosemary to thyme and used Martin Millers gin.

Bloody Thyme

Bloody Thyme

Glass - 

Highball

Ingredients - 

50 ml Martin Millers and thyme infused
Yellow tomato juice
Horseradish sauce (with added white wine vinegar, black pepper and sea salt)
2 drops Master of Malt Naga Chilli Bitters
2 drops The Bitter Truth Celery Bitters

Method - 

Combine all the ingredients within an ice filled shaker and shake vigorously. Pour into an ice filled glass.

 

Sipsmith Tasting Notes

Two brands are credited for the resurgence in British distilling, and one in particular broke a 189 year run and became the first copper-pot based distillery to start-up in London back in 2009 (Beefeater being the last in 1820). So how did Sipsmith come to break this, and more importantly, become a staple in many a bar?

Sipsmith is the brain child between three gentleman – Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall, respectively former Fuller’s and Diageo employees. and Jared Brown who is the Sipsmith Master Distiller. Building from scratch, they utilised former whisky and beer writer Michael Jackson’s former residence in Hammersmith, L0ndon and ordered themselves a copper pot still designed by Germany’s oldest distillery producers, Christian Carl (a family business who have been in the industry since 1869). Naming the still ‘Prudence’, it became multi-functional with the design combining a pot with a carter head and a column still, thus allowing them to create and produce both vodka and gin from the same still. ‘Prudence’ also gave birth to the swan motif that adorns each bottle of Sipsmith. It’s in reference to the ‘swan’s neck’ pipe located on top of the still that diverts the spirit vapour away to the condenser.

Being part of an elite group of London distillers (Beefeater Gin Distillery, Thames Distillers, Sacred Microdistillery and The London Distillery Company being the only others), Sipsmith had high hopes for a bright start, until they realised that their distillery roof sloped and therefore could not actually fit ‘Prudence’ in. Looking past that slight inconvenience and much impromptu renovating, they moved onto the task of sorting out London’s first distiller’s licence in nearly two decades. As the Government had not written a distillers licence for a while (189 years), the process had to be written all over again. All good and well, until it was granted and then realised that it had been date stamped with a year ahead.

Perseverance! So how do Sipsmith create their two different spirits?

Sipsmith is created in small batches, usually just a few hundred bottles a time. A base spirit is produced that they then distill once to produce the vodka. Some of the product is then re-distilled to make the gin (the still is always cleaned before starting again).

The base spirit is poured into the copper still, which can hold up to 300 litres, and then heated. The vapours rise and travel through the swan’s neck, then condensing and fall down into the cooling chamber where it turns back into a liquid. It’s held for a short time and then heated once more before passing through the condenser and becoming liquid again. It then sits in the spirit safe where it is ‘cut’. This means the removing of the initial product (named the head) and the end of the product (the tail) which are both of poor quality. The middle is kept (the heart) and it’s pure enough that it doesn’t need to be filtered. 40% of the heart is kept, diluted with pure water from Lydwell Spring in the Cotswolds, and bottled to become their vodka. The remaining 60% goes on to make the gin.

The ten botanicles – juniper, coriander, angelica, liquorice, orris root, almond, cassia bark, cinnamon, orange peel and lemon peel, that Sipsmith use for their gin are left overnight in the pot still at 75 degrees so that they can release their flavours. Once released, it makes the journey though the still but bypasses the distillation column. Once in the spirit safe, the liquid is cut to remove the heads and tails, and the remaining heart blended with the Lydwell Spring water and then bottled. Sipsmith creates one of the only gins in the world that uses the traditional ‘one-shot’ method instead of the usual concentrate. This nods to the times of the original days where there were ease in distilling and no ‘flashy’ botanicals.

So how does Sipsmith fare? Well below, I give to you my tasting notes on their range -

Sipsmith London Dry Gin – 41.6%

Distilled using 10 botanicles – Juniper, Coriander, Angelica, Liquorice, Orris Root, Almond, Cassia Bark, Cinnamon, Orange Peel and Lemon Peel. On the nose it gives off a soft floral scent with a fresh citrus and slight juniper note. The palate enjoyed the sweetness of the Seville orange, with a hit of juniper to follow. It led to a dry finish with a slight kick of spice at the end.

Sipsmith Barley Vodka – 40%

The nose enjoys a mix of nut and barley that transfers itself onto the palate. A hint of spice emerges on the tongue to create a well-balanced spirit. Slight pepperness near the end.

Sipsmith Sloe Gin 2011 – 29%

Distilled Sipsmith London Dry gin left to rest on wild sloe berries that are hand-picked in the autumn. Aromas of red currant and cherry on the nose mix together and are bold on the palate to create a warm, rich flavour of currants and plums. The finish is sweet that balances well to a crisp finish.

Sipsmith Damson Vodka 2011 - 28%

Sipsmith barley vodka left to steep with fresh English damsons. Sweet, fresh plums blends with bitter damson on the nose whilst the palate gets hit with a sharp damson hit to begin with. Cherry and plum become evident as it mellows out into a tangy finish.

Sipsmith Summer Cup – 29%

Sipsmith London Dry gin blended with a host of summer ingredients including infusions of Earl Grey tea, Lemon Verbena and Cucumber. Fresh herbal aromas on the nose, with lavender and cucumber dominating. The palate enjoys subtle flavours, more perfumed than anything, with citrus and juniper coming through to create a slightly dry yet refreshing finish.

A fantastic range, and versatile enough to create gems like these -

Gin Fizz

Gin Twist

Glass –

Tea cup

Ingredients –

100 ml boiling water
25-40 ml Sipsmith London Dry Gin
25 ml Fresh lemon juice
25 ml Simple syrup or sugar to taste

Method –

Combine ingredients in a teacup or Irish coffee mug. Stir and garnish with a lemon twist.

or

Dainty Damsel

Glass –

Damson and Champagne

Champagne Flute

Ingredients –

30 ml Sipsmith Damson Vodka
English sparkling wine, Champagne or prosecco

Method –

Pour Sipsmith Damson into a flute. Top with sparkling wine and serve.

Fantastic. A range to definitely enjoy at home, and to look out for in your local bar. Always worth a look around the distillery too if you’re in the neighbourhood. That’s what I did a few years back!

© David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog/sites author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Penderyn Tasting Notes

Wales is not renowned for its whiskies, but for nearly 10 years now, Penderyn has seen to change that perception with its award-winning range.

The Welsh Whisky Company was founded  in 1998 and in the turn of the new Millennium, a group of friends set out to become the first Welsh distillers in over a century.  The first spirit ran from the stills of the Penderyn Distillery (located within the Brecon Beacons National Park) in September of 2000 and the first whisky was launched on St David’s Day, 1st March 2004 in the presence of HRH Prince Charles.

So how does Penderyn differ to all the others? And more importantly, what makes it award-winning?

Using malted barley supplied by Welsh brewers S. A. Brain & Co. in Cardiff, the barley wash is heated within a single copper pot still (created by Dr David Faraday, descendent of the Victorian scientist, Michael Faraday). The column above the still has a number of perforated plates and the vapour will condense on the first plate before being returned to the still. As the process continues, the vapour will reach the second plate and so on, before evaporating and falling back to the still. Eventually the spirit is drawn from the seventh plate on the second column and flows into the spirit safe. This long process actually improves the spirit and removes many of the undesirable chemicals that are found, something that a conventional two or three pot still system cannot achieve. The end result is a spirit of 92% abv which is the highest strength of any malt whisky, as well as producing just one barrel every day meaning Penderyn is also exceptionally rare.

The spirit is combined with water from the Penderyn Distillery’s natural spring, located underneath the distillery, and is reduced to cask strength 63.4% abv.  Penderyn then uses two types of cask for maturation. After an initial maturation in hand-selected Buffalo Trace barrels, the whisky is further matured in Madeira casks.

So how does it all fare? Well below, I give to you my tasting notes on some of their range -

Penderyn Madeira - 46%

Light on the nose but with sweet honey notes lingering around. Sharp citrus cuts through on the palate, with a dry spice and hints of green fruit coming through. Creates a long finish.

Penderyn Peated – 46%

Aged in ex-bourbon barrels and ex-peated Scotch whisky casks. Light whisps of smoke on the nose followed by a surprisingly smooth palate. The thick smoke flavour comes through soon after with a hint of vanilla coming through. Very long finish.

Penderyn Sherrywood - 46%

Aged in ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. Sweet on the nose with barley coming through near the end. Developing spice on the palate with a dry sherrywood flavour coming through dominant. Rather warming as it lingers near the end. Sharp.

A fantastic trio, and versatile enough to even go with one of these -

Peat and Maple

Peat and Maple

Glass - 

Rocks

Ingredients -

50 ml of Penderyn Peated
10 ml maple syrup
2 dashes of angostura bitters
Segment of orange

Method - 

Pour all ingredients in whisky tumbler, add ice and stir.

Sometimes the most simple cocktails are the best. Penderyn is becoming more and more available in the bars around the UK, and indeed worthy of a purchase it you ever fancy something a little different. Remember, there’s nothing wrong in drinking whisky from Wales!

© David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

The Wild Geese Tasting Notes

If you mention Irish whiskey, there’s one brand that will instantly pop into your head. Nothing wrong with that at all, they’ve done a fantastic job. But there are others out their, and The Wild Geese is just one of them.

The Wild Geese story has a touch of legend to it. *

Patrick Sarsfield’s army is defeated at the decisive Battle of The Boyne. From this point on, his attempts to oust the  English and place James II on the throne, were doomed. There followed the Treaty of Limerick where Sarsfield’s army was given a stark choice. Those that chose to live under English rule filed one way, others like Sarsfield and his followers turned the other way, to board French ships to take them to France.

They took the name The Wild Geese in the hope and belief that this would be a temporary strategic exile in Europe. The parting, however, proved permanent. Like the vanquished everywhere over the centuries, they faced a bleak future at home. Stripped of their authority and property, many of them found life in Ireland intolerable. Irish aristocrats together with soldiers and dependants fled war and want to face an uncertain future abroad.

European courts welcomed the aristocracy and military where they quickly rose to prominence and became hugely successful. Others armed only with their wits, had to fend for themselves. Over time the migrants formed communities, often intermarrying and became a vital force in their host societies. However they never forgot their homeland and dreamt of one day returning to Ireland. Throughout time and to this day, migrants the world over, have to call on all their resources to survive and prosper in alien environments.

So how does The Wild Geese come about?

The Wild Geese is produced using an Extended Double Distillation which makes for smoother finish. It’s matured in single use white oak barrels that have previously been used to make bourbon.

I’ve been lucky enough to try some of The Wild Geese range, so below, I give to you my tasting notes -

The Wild Geese Irish Whiskey Classic Blend – 40%

Spice and mixed berries on the nose with a sweet yet light palate of citrus and honey.

The Wild Geese Irish Whiskey Rare – 43%

Lots of floral notes with pepper and citrus also making an appearance on the nose. A rich, malt flavour on the palate with a hint of honey for a long finish.

A great pair to enjoy neat, but the Rare also goes well with one of these -

Five Points

Five Points 

Glass - 

Rocks

Ingredients - 

35 ml The Wild Geese Rare
10 ml King’s Ginger liqueur
10 ml Elderflower cordial

Method -

Stir all ingredients in a boston glass with ice, strain into a tumbler over cubed ice and snap fresh lemon zest.

Refreshing as well as award-winning (won Gold at the 2010 International Challenge). The Wild Geese also have a Single Malt and a Limited Edition available too. The more widely available Classic and Rare are a hit with many bars, and one’s to have in your drinks cabinet.

* History and production methods taken straight from The Wild Geese website. Subtle changes have been made for narrative purposes only.

© David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Herradura Tasting Notes

Herradura is a tequila distiller located in Amatitán, Jalisco, Mexico. It was formally founded in 1870 by Félix López and the business remained in the family for over 125 years. Not a bad legacy to still have one could say! So how did it all come about for us all to enjoy?

After beginning with Félix López, who began as the distillery administrator under then owners Josefa Salazar and her sons, López took over the distillery and agave fields in 1870 and registered it as a tequila producer under the name of Hacienda San José del Refugio. Félix López married Carmen Rosales and they had two children, Aurelio and María de Jesús. The couple modernized the production of tequila at the hacienda, building a facility that remained in use until 1963. López died in 1878 and Rosales took over the business along with her brother Ambrosio Rosales and his wife Elisa Gomez Cuervo. Later, the business was inherited by Aurelio López.

The construction of railroads in the late 19th century allowed for easier shipping to other parts of Mexico and increased tequila’s popularity in the country. By this time the hacienda’s tequila was well-known, with Aurelio giving it the name of Herradura. The name, which means horseshoe in Spanish, is a said to have come from the finding of a horseshoe on the hacienda property. Stories vary but the one told by the company’s website says that it was found in the early 1900′s by Aurelio, while inspecting the agave fields. It gleamed like gold and the horseshoe was kept for luck, naming the tequila after it. In the 1920′s the Cristero War broke out, with both Aurelio and his sister María de Jesus as sympathizers. At one point, government troops surrounded the hacienda but the siblings were able to escape. However, Aurelio never returned again.

The hacienda passed into the hand of Aurelio’s cousin David Rosales, who kept the tequila 100% agave despite the trend towards blending to cut costs. In 1928, he registered the Herradura brand in Mexico City with a horseshoe as its logo. The hacienda and the Herradura brand remained in the family for over a century. In the 1960′s, the old factory was shut down in favour of a new one, but kept as a museum. During this time, Herradura Añejo was introduced with Reposado introduced in 1974. In 1994, el Jimador was introduced and became the #1 seller in Mexico.

So how is Herradura created?

Herradura begins with the harvest of 100% blue agave plants after 7 to 10 years of growth. After slicing off the green outer leaves, it leaves the large agave ‘piñas’. The piñas are brought in from the fields, cut in half and placed within the traditional ovens made of bricks and stone. The piñas are then steamed for up to 26 hours before being crushed to extract the juice and poured into open tanks.

Natural wild air-borne yeasts growing on agave plants and citrus trees living at the distillery are used in the Casa Herradura fermentation process. The juice will remain between four and seven days in the tanks before being distilled. Herradura uses slow distillation, a tradition not often practiced these days, meaning heating the liquid at slightly lower temperatures. There are two distillations; the first takes 3 ½ hours, and the second takes 5 hours.

Herradura is one of México’s largest barrel holders, using only oak barrels imported from Kentucky to mature their tequila. Herradura is aged longer than it needs to by law, but does it make any difference? Well below, I give to you my tasting notes on the range -

Herradura Plata - 40%

Aged for forty days. Very soft and clean with cooked agave notes on the nose. Soft on the palate too with slight flavours of the wood coming through. Lingers whilst it creates a mouth-watering finish.

Herradura Reposado - 40%

Aged for 11 months. Soft on the nose with delicate dry wood and spice aromas. Developing spice on the palate with sweet vanilla and hints of powdered cinnamon. Short.

Herradura Añejo - 40%

Aged for two years. Intense oak with nut aromas coming through. Incredibly smooth on the palate with sweet fruit flavours coming through. Rather creamy with a long finish.

A fantastic range of tequila, with the extra ageing creating something a little bit special. Great on their own or over ice, or maybe one of these -

The Hacienda Fizz

The Hacienda Fizz

Glass -

Highball

Ingredients -

50 ml Herradura Plata
10 ml Fresh lemon juice
15 ml Herradura Agave Syrup
2 Dashes of Fee Brothers Orange Bitters
Sparkling water

Method -

Add all ingredients except the water to a hi-ball glass filled with ice and stir thoroughly. Top up with the sparkling water, garnish with a slice of lemon.

Have to love a versatile product! One to definitely stock in your drinks cabinet, or indeed if you ever see any of the range in your local bar. Worth a go.

© David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.