Full on fireside flavours and warmth

Although Aldi introduced Haysmith’s Oriental Spiced Gin just before Christmas in 2021, I hadn’t noticed it in the store before – maybe because it’s so delicious it’d sold out.  Indeed, this London dry is good enough to sup on its own, from a hip flask while taking that mandatory walk on Boxing Day – and it would warm you up rather nicely.

Winner two years ago of a coveted Silver award from The Gin Masters, this rich and fragrant 40 per cent ABV spirit is also very enjoyable with tonic water and garnished with an orange slice and cinnamon stick – as we have in the past sampled Micil Spiced Orange and Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla.  But the notable aspect about Aldi’s variant is that it’s nearly half the price of the other brands, but most definitely not half the taste.

Haysmith’s Oriental Spiced Gin is, as it accurately says on the bottle, “best described as notes of punchy cardamom and fragrant cinnamon, packed with spices and herbs of basil & bay leaf, balanced with a juniper led gin.”

Looking around to see what others thought of this gin, many felt it was redolent of Christmas, and I agree – think of an orange pomander punched with cloves, like you used to make as a child, and you’ve got the general essence of Haysmith’s Oriental Spiced Gin.  I still have my pomander, made over ** years ago, and it still has yuletide aromas.

“With Aldi currently selling over an unimaginable 10 million bottles of gin every year, it is clear that the gin bubble has not popped and won’t be any time soon,” said an Aldi spokeswoman.

Would I buy Aldi’s Haysmith’s Oriental Spiced Gin again? At just £14.49 a 70cl bottle, it would be foolish not to!