Reviews

Ramsbury Single Estate Gin review

May 2, 2021

287

An eco-friendly gin, from field to bottle.

Ramsbury gin is what the distillers call ‘Single Estate’, meaning that the whole process of its creation, from field to bottle, takes place on the Ramsbury Estate in Wiltshire: producing a superb, crisp London Dry which can proudly boast the highest of eco-credentials.

Being a bit of a tree-hugger myself, I felt no guilt when I whisked this bottle off the shelf at Waitrose, like many, trying to improve my carbon footprint when the occasion allows. The makers sow, grow, harvest and distil all the primary ingredients on the farm – even the water comes from their own well.

The wastewater from the distillation process is filtered through reed beds before being sent to a pond – where, of course, wildlife happily flourishes. Trees that need to be felled on the 19,000-acre estate feed the biomass boiler, while helpful cows fertilize the land, and eat the spent Horatio wheat used to make the gin. The wheat is also milled onsite, and quince picked from the orchard. An impressive closed-loop production process, one might say.

Well, back from my Darling Buds of May, or The Good Life imagery of sunny uplands, happy ducks, cattle and farmers … it really does sound as though the distillers have achieved the perfect ‘Green Gin’ set-up on their Wiltshire farm; so, what about the taste?

We always have a small neat one on opening a new bottle, and this 40^% ABV gin was no exception. Woody juniper came through strongly, as did lemon peel, angelica and the cinnamon – but the modern day twist on the classic London Dry, perhaps, comes from the surprise fruitiness of the quince. Despite its slight oily texture, which helps the spirit to linger for a while on the tongue, Ramsbury gin is a really clean, refreshing tipple – with a touch of spice finish.

The wastewater from the distillation process is filtered through reed beds before being sent to a pond – where, of course, wildlife happily flourishes.

The distillers recommend a serve with Indian tonic, garnished with a slice of green apple and lime – we enjoyed ours with Indian tonic and lime, and will definitely be treating ourselves to another bottle.