Made in Plymouth, England, this is one of the few surviving styles of a English gin other than the London dry-style. The original gin for a martini and many other classic drinks. Much loved by Winston Churchill among many others, it almost died out. but was rescued from oblivion and is now regaining a foothold in the gin market.
Unlike the London dry-style, it uses a sweet orange peel and cardamom along with the usual ingredients of orris root, juniper, angelica root, coriander and lemon peel.
Notes: Made in Plymouth, England, this is one of the few surviving styles of a English gin other than the London dry-style. The original gin for a martini and many other classic drinks. Much loved by Winston Churchill among many others, it almost died out. but was rescued from oblivion and is now regaining a foothold in the gin market.
Unlike the London dry-style, it uses a sweet orange peel and cardamom along with the usual ingredients of orris root, juniper, angelica root, coriander and lemon peel.
Appearance: Bright, silvery, beautiful clarity. Nice edge line on working with thin legs turning to sparkling droplets.
First Impression: Juniper (but not excessively so), with a nice mingling of cardamom, coriander, and citrus, with earthy dry overtones balancing everything out.
Taste: Body is wonderfully thick and smooth- oily heavy body, that is a delight to both taste and feel. A bracing mixture of juniper, citrus and the other spices rush headlong through the palate leaving a warm oily wake, mild tingling on the lips and tongue and hints of juniper, citrus and cardamom. Very clean, with a very interesting mixture of herbs and citrus notes. Slight warming burn on the way down. Finish is creamy, long, and quite pleasant.
Drinks: Makes a excellent martini, please stir (don’t shake) and you will be rewarded with a lovely molten glass appearance and silken body/mouthfeel.It will cater to those martini drinkers who don’t care for a lot of juniper and want a nicely weighted body to their martini and to those who are looking for a well balanced flavorful drink.
The main ingredient in many classic gin drinks (over 30 in the Savoy Cocktail book alone), it lends body ,depth and subtlety that most London Dry Gins can’t touch. One of my favorite gins, one of the few that can be easily sipped out of bone china teacups at room temperature when we are having one of those afternoons at the rare bookshop – or anywhere else.
Bottle: They have recently changed their bottle style ( yet again- it underwent a redo a few years ago) redone to go back to it’s roots and the older style bottle which resembles a horseshoe flask – a common bottle shape in the 1700’s to mid 1800’s or so.
Easy to grip and pour. Shield style paper label with small medallion of a sailing ship at bottom of front panel.
Final Thoughts: Winston Churchill was right in his choice of this gin. Subtle, smooth and easy-to-drink, it is a classic that does not cause palate fatigue like many of the overamped juniper London Dry’s out there. Subtle enough you may even be able to convince some of the the fear of flavor crowd away from their vodka “martini” abominations with this one. Cheaper than a number of its competitors making it a excellent choice for your bar.
Website: http://plymouthgin.com
Nicely done website loads fast, easy-to-navigate, and clean design. Many illustrated drinks recipes.
