Gin, whisky and tea might sound like a mixture to avoid, but somehow the Tobermory Distillery manages to bring a batch of classic as well as island botanicals into the recipe to deliver a London Dry taste with depth of flavour.
Indeed, the essence of the good old British cuppa and a splash of newly distilled whisky spirit are nuanced with heather, elderflower and London Dry favourites like orange; in what must be a unique mix.
Elderflower and wild heather hunker down with the juniper and sweet orange peel; while the smooth finish seems to contain a collection of subtle herbs and spices. And while this whisky maker didn’t launch its first gin until 2019, there have been some other notable companions to the Hebridean entrant: namely Mountain Gin and a coastal version we have yet to sample.
As an aside, Gin Lover One treated us to a box of the Craft Gin Club’s Christmas crackers which, rather than landing like some limp joke on your side-plate along with the paper hat and a 5cl miniature, there was a slip of paper posing “Gin Questions”. Mine asked which UK nation produces the most brands to which of course I guessed England, but it seems our whisky and Buckie mad neighbours beat us by some distance.
And of course the yuletide season brings out all the decades old singalong hits – Like Mike Batt’s ‘Wombling Merry Christmas’. Well, Tobermory, as the Wimbledon foragers’ handyman might have been my favourite back in the seventies, but I’d be tempted to suggest that their characterful cook – Madame Cholet – maybe ought to take credit for this lovely gin recipe. Cheers!
The 43.3% ABV spirit can be purchased directly from the distillery, or online – Amazon, of course – for between £25 to £30.
