Event Date : Sunday 5th March 2017
Location : Glasgow Blythswood Hotel
Hotel Website : www.blythswoodsquare.com/partner/glasgow-blythswood-square/
So this year I am trying to learn more about Gin, I am hearing a lot of people talking about it and heard its the next big thing.
I saw this event advertised on Eventbrit, and thought at about £20 a ticket why not lets give it a shot and see what this is like.
The event is being held at the Glasgow Blysthwood Square Hotel, which as you maybe have seen I have been to a few times for a lot of my family events.
Event Details :
The Gin
Arbikie Gin, Caorunn Gin, Eden Mill, Fever-Tree, The Gin Bothy, Hendrick’s Gin, Makar Glasgow Gin, Sipsmith Gin, Stirling Gin, Summerhouse Drinks, Edinburgh Gin
When
Sunday 5th March – 12-5pm
WHATS ON
- Blythswood Square deliver an Edinburgh Gin cocktail demonstration – 12.30pm & 2.30pm
- Arbikie Gin – Adam Hunter debates “is provenance the new craft” – 1.30pm
- Makar Glasgow Gin – gin presentation – 3pm
- Hendrick’s Gin – masterclass on the classic teapot cocktail serve – 4pm
…plus a goodie bag to take away
The Event :
The event was held downstairs in the event hall, and looked visually different and smaller than when I was last in for my Grandparents Anniversary. Its amazing how decoration and layout can make a difference on how a place looks.
I decided to do a once a round and talk to each brand, take photos and have a look at what was on offer then start the samples.
Sipsmith Gin
Website : sipsmith.com
Twitter : @sipsmith
It all began in 2009, in a tiny workshop in Hammersmith, London. Two childhood friends, Fairfax and Sam, had an unwavering belief in things well made – the way they used to be, the way they should be. So they set up London’s first traditional copper distillery since 1820. Their mission was simple: to bring London Dry Gin of truly uncompromising quality and character, back to the city where it first earned its name. Every bottle of Sipsmith is hand-crafted in genuinely small batches. Every drop of every batch is lovingly laboured over by hand, by our dedicated Distillers. No regimented timings, no automatic cuts, just a craftsman’s flair and a passion for gin well made. We believe this is the only way to craft spirits of this quality.
I started with this Gin as it was right at the door, and got listening to the rep tell some customers about the 3 gins on display and sale today. Once the ladies left I got speaking to the rep, and asked about the history etc and had a sample of the three gins.
I purchased one bottle today, this was was a nice sweet gin.
A little sharp on first taste but once that is done the rest goes down very smoothly.
Lots of juicy sweet flavours with a lovely aftertaste too.
The Gin Bothy
Website : www.ginbothy.co.uk
Twitter : @TheGinBothy
Inspired by Bothies of the past, Gin Bothy favour the old fashioned approach. We infuse our Gins with local seasonal fruits in extremely small batches, working through the process by hand at each step.
Again I asked to hear the history about the gin, and speak to the rep today.
Unfortunately by the time I came back to try most of the samples were gone so I didn’t get a chance to try this one.
If i see them at another festival I will take the sample right away.
Stirling Gin
Website : stirlinggin.co.uk
Twitter : @StirlingGin
Stirling’s first Gin! Stirling Gin from Scotland’s heart.Our First batch of Stirling Gin was distilled on the 28th of October 2015.
We wanted to bring something unique to the world of ever growing Gins, and in our recipe we feel we have achieved our goal. A gin that has a big nose and very enjoyable neat or with a premium tonic of your choice.
Our Gin is infused with hand picked Stirlingshire Nettles, Basil, Lemon Peel, Orange Peel, Juniper and Angelica Root.
I got speaking to the rep of Stirling Gin who was very enthusiastic about this gin, and we had a really nice chat.
I really liked this gin, and if I had more money with me today I would have purchased a bottle.
Arbikie Gin
Website : www.arbikie.com
Twitter : @ArbikieGin
Kirsty’s & AK’s Gins are rare as we distil our spirit from scratch from our farm-grown crops & locally foraged botanics. World award-winning
I liked the sound of this gin when the rep was telling me about it, and my friend said it was very nice. Unfortunately this was one that I didn’t get a chance to sample, so I will have to keep a look out for them and try it.
Fever-Tree
Website : www.fever-tree.com
Twitter : @FeverTreeMixers
Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water launched in the UK in early 2005, the brand name chosen due to fever tree being the colloquial name for the cinchona treein which quinine, a key ingredient for tonic, is found. The highest quality quinine was sourced from the Rwanda Congo border and blended with spring water and eight botanical flavours, including rare ingredients such as marigold extracts and a bitter orange from Tanzania. Crucially, no artificial sweeteners, preservatives or flavourings were added.
The rep today was very friendly and very enthusiastic, she answered all my questions and give me a lot of good detail today.
I tried the Sicilian Lemon one, for me it was just ok but maybe as a mixer it would have been better. Maybe at some point I could try the other flavours, and do a post at a later date.
Caorunn Gin
Website : www.caorunngin.com
Twitter : @CaorunnGin
Carefully handcrafted in the Scottish Highlands, Caorunn expertly infuses five locally foraged gin botanicals. Artisanal and small batch, beautifully mixing the rugged charm of Speyside with the urban sophistication of modern Scotland.
I liked this Gin, the flavours for me were really good and I would like to try this gin again.
I liked that there was a little model of how the Gin is processed, and it was colourful the table was nicely presented.
Makar Glasgow Gin
Website : glasgowdistillery.com/makar-gin/
Twitter : @MakarGlasgowGin
Make it a Makar to taste our award-winning Scottish handcrafted gin, hand bottled and distilled in the heart of Glasgow
This was another one of my favourites today, I tried a few samples and also spoke to the rep who was very nice and very friendly.
Makar also hosted a little presentation, which you can read about later in this blog post.
I also managed to try their Vodka, which is another drink I only know of the mainstream brands and also that I have it in cocktails etc so I have never had a good quality one to try.
This vodka was really nice, and had a slight creamy after taste which was nice. This could easily be a nice sipping Vodka and very nice as a mixer.
I will be purchasing this Vodka once I have some free cash.
Eden Mill
Website : www.edenmill.com
Twitter : @EdenMill
The Eden Mill story began at St Andrews in 1810, when the legendary Haig distillers first laid down whisky here at the site we now own and work from. In 2012, we resurrected that proud tradition of crafting. We’re Scotland’s original single site combined brewery and distillery – the first in Scotland. Very few gin makers are as fortunate as Eden Mill and even fewer have all the elements that our team use in creating outstanding flavours and choices.
This was another one I didn’t get a chance to sample, but I did speak to the rep and also learn a little about
Hendrick’s Gin
Website : www.hendricksgin.com
Twitter : @HendricksginUK
Hendrick’s is a gin distilled in Scotland with curious, yet marvellous, infusions of cucumber and rose.
As I have said I dont know much about gin, so I am trying to learn this year. Hendricks is the only name I had heard about, just heard that’s all.
I got speaking to the rep today and she was very nice, helpful and I had a little taster.
This was a very nice Gin, the flavours were really nice and it had a nice after taste.
I got a little bottle of this in the goodie bag, and it was finished the following day. This is another gin from todays event that I would purchase.
Summerhouse Drinks
Website : www.summerhousedrinks.com
Twitter : @SummerhouseFizz
Real lemonades made in Scotland using 100% natural ingredients. Home of @WalterGTonic
The rep today was very friendly, and helpful and I managed to sample two today.
The first was the tonic water, I haven’t really tasted a lot tonic water in the past so I couldn’t really compare it.
It’s a little bitter to start with ending in a pleasant enough end and after taste. This one is probably best as a mixer, to try and sweeten the taste.
The second was Raspberry Lemonade, the flavour of the raspberry was very night and not over powering. As I have a sweet tooth, this was a nice one for me and would be good on its own or mixed.
I would like to try both again, more so the raspberry one on its on and in a cocktail.
Makar Glasgow Gin – Gin Presentation
The presentation was held in the cinema room, this was a perfect location for presentations as its a good sized room with many comfy seats.
We got to sample the gins that were on show at the Makar Glasgow table, and learn about Makar Gin. This was a very informative talk, and a very relaxed one as we all listened and got to try samples so it was a fun presentation.
Hendrick’s Gin – masterclass on the classic teapot cocktail serve
We all gathered at the bar area, and waited to see what was happening.
After a few minutes we were then handed a glass of the finished cocktail, and everyone tried it and talked among themselves.
I wouldn’t really class this part of the event as a masterclass, you didn’t really learn how to make them e.g. measures etc you just tried it and kinda moved on.
For me this was a little disappointing, as I am sure maybe a few people standing would have liked to have seen them being made and some background information.
Overall :
Overall the event was really fun and informative.
I have been learning about rum last year and thought I would try Gin, I learned that I am more a flavoured Gin person more sweet.
I am sure that the Gins would be good as mixers, but if I wanted to take them as a sipping gin etc then a more sweet or flavoured would be more my cup of tea.
Sorry I wasn’t that great at going in to much detail, but I am still learning about Gin so if your wanting more info the best thing to do is check websites listed above or try and find a sample and take it from there.
I promise any following gin events I attend, I will do my very best to give you more detail.
I will keep trying Gin, but I think I am more a rum guy but it was a fun and education event.
Cheers
