I’ve been very remiss in not writing this earlier. My only excuse is that I’ve still been digesting information from this event. And to be truthful I have.
I love learning – especially when it concerns alcohol. Flavour, colour, processes, distillation, maceration, history, it all fascinates me. And I spent a lot of time talking to people about the alcohol available to buy and what goes on behind the scenes.
The Spirit Boutique and Liquor Market came through flying on the coattails of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival and aimed to do for spirits what the MFDF itself does for food. Using the Corn Exchange as a venue, the whole building was filled with alcohol to sample, try, buy and drink – both onsite with pop up cocktail bars from Rosylee Tea Rooms, The Blue Pig and Vermillion, wines, beers, music and, my favourite bit, obviously, the Liquor Market itself.
The market offered the opportunity to sample, talk to people behind the brands and snaffle a bottle or two. I was there for two days of this event, chatting, sampling, meeting fellow spirit enthusiasts (hello Eva!) – those who are just as enthusiastic about them as I am.
Oh and I bought some too!
Perhaps we should dive in with my usual love, gin. The lovely Joey from Epernay was on hand, showcasing Berkeley Square, one I can quite happily drink straight, or with a single cube of ice, as well as a spicier offering from Ophir Gin. The botanicals include cardamom and black pepper, so this was immediately on my wish list. I’m picturing ginger and citrus to go with this.
Also on offer was SW4 Gin, in both it’s lighter 40% and deeper 47% strengths. Understandably, there’s a clear difference between the two, but both are very easy straight drinking gins, I’m looking forward to exploring them and their deeper botanicals further – I think they’re complex enough to warrant time spent over them.
Then came the rums. The ridiculously easy drinking Old J Spiced Rum, with it’s warm vanilla sweetness, goes down a little far too easily, even in it’s neat state.
On the other end of the spectrum, was Clarke’s Court Rum. A Grenadian rum, this initially surprised me with it’s lightness, far removed from many others I’ve tried with their heavy rich mouthfeel. Both the Old Grog and the older, richer in flavour, but still light #37 Blend had something both vanilla and banana notes. This is down to the extra time taken in the production – the sugar cane is cut and left in the fields to naturally start the fermentation process.
We were also able to sample Rivers Rum, a white, overproof rum, drunk by the local Grenadians. Thankfully my tastebuds were well adjusted, or I’d have struggled by this point!
And St Nicholas Abbey, both their white rum with it’s notes of tropical fruit and vanilla and their 10 year old aged, rum with it’s spicier deeper orange notes – both silky textured easy drinking rums.
Whiskies were present too, Bourbons such as Buffalo Trace, classics from Jameson’s and rarer Midleton’s (stunning stuff) through to quirkier numbers such as Fireball – think alcoholic Fireball Jawbreakers, I loved the stuff.
Then there were vodkas, in this case Magic Moments rice based vodkas from India. I’m not the world’s greatest flavoured vodka fan – so many are artificial/kitchen cleaner tasting that I find them unpleasant. These were a big surprise. I was especially taken with the lemongrass and ginger, and can honestly say you should give these a go. The chocolate and orange combined are incredible.
Finally, I got to meet Ted. Ted is a gent, a chemist, a fellow geek and is the skill behind a group of liqueurs that are the Marmite of the alcohol world, Absinthe.
I’m a fan. I like strength, flavour and don’t have a sweet tooth particularly, so the herbal richness of these craft Absinthes appeals to me greatly. I’m thankful I had chance to talk to this charming man, see pictures of the stunning stills in his care and sample (and buy) some of his products. They are incredible.
So, I learned, I sampled, I bought. I also hit the cocktail bars with a new friend and went home very wobbly.
I cannot wait for next year.
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