A twist of lemon peel and genius
A couple of years back, I reviewed this maker’s Summerful Gin, and agreed with the distiller’s statement of ‘is it madness or genius?’ thinking that it was an odd idea to add thyme and rosemary to gin.
Of course, since then, we have tried many strange-seeming concoctions and consequently concur that Martin Miller is a genius, seeing that he is most famed for his much-celebrated antique guides, as well as the fabulously herby, high summer spirit Martin Miller’s Summerful Gin.
So it was with great interest that, when Hubs opened the 19th door on his gin advent calendar, a 5cl bottle of Martin Miller’s Original Gin made its way onto the kitchen table – he had to try it well before the sun was over the yard arm, so intrigued was he … plus we’d just heard about the eruption of the volcano in Iceland, which is where the spring water used to make this tipple is sourced from – a strange coincidence.
Although a classic dry, based on the best traditions of English distillers, Martin’s aim was to create a gin that ‘tastes of gin’ and not, in his words, ‘of some highly flavoured confection.’ He insisted on only employing the methods and techniques of the ‘old school’ gin makers which had long been dropped for modern distillation methods. Many thought these were mad ideas, but his founding colleagues stuck by him and produced what is now one of the most awarded super premium gin brands of the last 15 years.
The 40% ABV gin is small batch, pot distilled and, on the nose, juniper, lemon peel and pine notes are revealed. We like the slight liquorice sweetness on the palate, enhanced by the citrus and the warming hint of earthy spice from the cinnamon and nutmeg. Furthermore, this classic dry G&T achieves what it should do, in that the finish is intensely refreshing, thanks to the lemon notes. The recommended serve is with lime and a good quality tonic.
For a premium gin, which can be purchased widely for well under £30, the biggest surprise is, perhaps, that Martin Miller’s Original Gin isn’t both pricier and more widely known than some of its more modest competitors.
