I have three new gins to add to my rather large collection – three new spirits from Professors Club Gin, based in West Sussex.
It’s an interesting spirit to begin with, the base being made from sugar beet, they use a vapour distillation method (the botanicals are held above the alcohol, rather than in it) and they use a still made of copper and steel from Kentucky – a still perhaps more known for moonshine than gin. In fact to be honest, I’d love to try the base spirit neat, just to understand the impact the base would have on the finished spirit.
They released their first gin, Twisted Gin, in 2018, and this year released three more, Secret Garden, Summer Dry and Pink. Lucky me received all three in a package for sampling, so lets dive in.
First up, Secret Garden Gin.
Botanicals include juniper, coriander, orris, angelica, cardamom, lavender, mint and hibiscus. Neat, the nose gives toasted coriander, and sweet lemon.The palate is rich, lots of closely packed floral notes, with a herbal minty finish that lingers. In a G&T, the tonic opens the florals up, letting the lavender and hibiscus blossom without them being too intense, the mint is softened, so it’s just a gentle freshness on the finish.
Next up, Summer Dry Gin.
Botanicals include juniper, angelica, cardamom, star anise, cassia, cubeb, grapefruit and lemon. Neat it is oily and laden with citrus flavours. Lots of citrus oils (almost expecting this to louche when I add tonic it’s so intense). Spicy notes. In a G&T, the nose is full of citrus notes and a soft spice on the finish. The palate is a classic style G&T, with lots of citrus bite, and a soft spice to balance it out.
Finally and oddly enough, to perhaps my favourite of the three, Professors Club Pink.
Botanicals include juniper, coriander, orris root, cassia, cubeb. After distillation, the gin is infused with strawberries. Neat the nose gives strawberry laces, soft and sweet. Palate has a good juniper bite, with the finishing being round soft and jammy. In a G&T it’s softly fruity – with tonic, everything opens out, the fruit softens and lightens making it a refreshing drink for late summer.
If you fancy some for yourself you can get it direct from their website, Amazon, or Master of Malt.