A tribute to being fresh ‘n’ fruity
Our gin scouts, Bill (pictured above) and Lesley, were rightfully pleased with themselves when they kindly presented us with a novel new gin – LE Tribute – which we had never previously tried, for it’s getting increasingly more challenging to find something we haven’t already written about since we started blogging about the spirit in 2018.
Made by the same family who created the award-winning Gin Mare, this 43% ABV gin features a hefty load of vibrant botanicals distilled over seven distillations, embracing juniper, lime, kumquat, lemon, pink and green grapefruit, mandarin, lemongrass, bitter and sweet oranges – giving up their tantalising tastes in that exacting order.
The bottle has been designed to look like an antique medicine bottle – and therein, perhaps, begins LE Tribute’s story: it started back in 1835, in a humble distillery tucked away on the rambla\ of Vilanova i la Geltrú, a charming town on the Barcelona coast.
Here, the Giró family crafted medicinal syrups, horchatas, and aguardientes, “infusing each creation with the essence of carefully chosen botanicals and the character of the land. These small-batch elixirs were lovingly bottled in glass, destined to enrich the lives of those who tasted them.” Which, one can easily see, led to a triumphant ‘eureka’ moment in 1940 when the family turned their hands to the creation of their first Gin MG at their Destilerías MG.
LE Tribute was subsequently born in 2016, with its bright and vibrant citrus notes accompanied by sharp and fruity grapefruit, herby juniper and lemongrass, boiled orange sweets – perhaps the latter a nod to the sweet oranges grown in the area. Definitely fresh and fruity, to be enjoyed with a good Indian tonic and just about any garnish you desire.
