Isle of Harris Gin 70cl
Isle of Harris Gin What greets you first with this gin is the iconic design of the bottle. Even this has a story... The paper seal shows the co-ordinates of the distillery. The Portuguese wooden stopper which bears the distillery's logo. The rippled glass evokes thoughts of the maritime aspect of the island, and hints at fotsam and jetsam worn by tides. The glass colour is reminiscent of the colour of the sea around the isle in the summer. The paper label holds flecks of both sugar kelp (a key botanical) and copper. Lastly, the motto "Esse Quam Videri" (To Be, Rather than seem to be) which is the founders family Motto. All of this hints at the depth of thought that has gone in to the creation of the gin.... and all this before the stopper is even removed. The distillery itself is in the village of Tarbert, on the Isle of Harris (in the Outer Hebrides, NW Scotland). They distill using a small copper still which is known as 'The Dottach', and bottle and individually seal each one by hand. For the gin, nine carefully selected ingredients are used. Each of these giving it's own individual characteristic to the recipe. The key botanical, and "star of the show" is the local, hand-harvested Sugar Kelp which shows the island's deep connections to the sea and gives a maritime edge to the gin. The other botanicals used in the creation of this gin are juniper, cassia bark, coriander seed, angelica root, bitter orange peel, cubebs, liquorice root and orris root. These carefully selected botanicals mean that Isle of Harris Gin is an exceptionally refreshing gin. It has a a defined balance between bitter juniper and pine, and the sweet fruit flavours of mango, grapefruit and orange. A green herb flavour of crushed coriander develops and as the juniper and citrus fade away, sweet vanilla and black pepper remain with a gentle reminder of the sea. Perfect Serve A truly delicious gin, it can easily be enjoyed on its own over ice. For a longer drink - we have two options. Keeping it maritime themed, we really like Lobsters Tonic Water, or their Lemon Mint soda. With either of these, pour 50ml of the gin into a large glass filled with ice and add 150 - 200ml of your preferred mixer. Stir gently, and with the tonic, add a slice of grapefruit for the garnish, or with the Lemon Mint soda add a sprig of mint.
