The West Coast in a bottle …
This very pleasant gin, from Vancouver, is as bold as the coastline from where it originates, with the sustainably harvested winged kelp giving it what its creators describe as “a subtle impression of the ocean on the nose and the palate.”
“It’s just sublime – I reckon it must be the sea kelp!”
It all started when two gin lovers, Jason and Alayne MacIsaac built their first distillery in their garage in Shirley, British Columbia, a Southern Vancouver Island town whose original name was Sheringham. Very much rooted in their locality, the bottles used are inspired by local history, recollecting those used by the prohibition-era moonshiners, which Jason stumbled upon years ago near the site of a local historical still.
The embossed boat on the bottle is reminiscent of “Favorite,” (an Americanism for favourite, of course) a local resident schooner that once sailed the wild Salish Sea.
Seaside Gin is “Inspired by the Vancouver Island coast, with its clean surf and appealing fragrance of wild roses, evergreen forests, and ocean air – our flagship spirit has a deliciously complex yet impeccably balanced botanical profile.” We couldn’t agree more, enjoying the combination of the 43% ABV tipple’s botanicals, which include juniper, rose, lavender, zingy citrus, coriander, cardamom and, of course, the winged kelp.
We savoured our refreshing Sheringham Seaside Gin from The Craft Gin Club with Indian tonic and a wedge of juicy orange – and very much concur with a review on Master of Malt’s website: “It’s just sublime – I reckon it must be the sea kelp!” Perhaps the magic is down to Jason who, as a chef, spent more than 20 years mastering the principles of creating balanced flavours in food.
Sheringham Seaside gin can be purchased widely online for around £40
