Farm shop smoothy offers seasonal flavours
A growing percentage of the gins we come across have been created by established distilleries on behalf of various hospitality businesses or even – as in the case of James Gin – for television personalities, though there is no reason to fear the surrogacy should detract from the end product; and Greendale Gin definitely delivers, not only on taste, but also background.
Once again, we must thank our friends Bill and Lesley for unearthing this 40% London Dry; they have returned from as far afield as Tenerife with Macaronesian gin and then travelled through the wilds of Scotland to bring us a bottle of The Botanist with very different juniper spirits. They happened upon Greendale Gin, though, not so many miles away from their home on the other side of Exeter, in a farm shop of the same name.
Not only does Greendale sample nearly as many botanicals as The Botanist’s 22, but it also has something in common with another Devon Gin we liked very much: with Ten Tors having been the first we tried which references the seasonality of the fauna gathered on its Devon farms. Blackberries being one which stands out as an autumn special for both.
The locally foraged list includes gorse and heather, laced with a little of the farm’s own honey, while almonds, coriander and cinnamon add warmth. Grains of Paradise, cubeb and calamus root further enhance the layering; all contributing to a rich smoothness which works well in a summer evening sundowner, or allow it to be sipped neat as a winter warmer.
