Summer 2022 Spirits Roundup

The sun is shining, and we have some absolute wonderful luxury spirits – for everything summer! Light the barbecue, pack the picnic hamper and pitch the tent! Its Summer baby!

Elephant Strength Gin 57% ABV

Obviously inspired by the largest, majestic land mammal – the elephant. This new ‘Elephant Strength Gin’ is a modern take on their regular elephant gin. And boy does it pack a trunk load of character!

Trips to Africa inspired the distillers to craft their original Elephant Gin – using some unique African botanicals including Lions Tail (a herb) Buchu, Devils claw and African wormwood. Unsurprisingly this fancy botanical array is also present in the elephant strength tipple!

Much like its name, this delivers a strong punch when sipped neat – if you like that kind of thing, then you’re in luck! If not, throw in some ice and a high-end tonic and sample the juniper, pine and lemon notes. Followed up by lime, a little lavender and some orange. There are also some ginger and sweet apple tastes if you search hard enough. This Gin is silky, smooth and quite frankly one of the better navy strength gins – it somehow maintains its composure, whilst still having that big ABV tag.

What’s more the gin pays homage to the elephants of Africa that inspired it, and the company donates 15% of its profits to conservation of elephants, anti-poaching groups, education centers, and an elephant hospital and orphanage in Africa. Another reason to make this, your navy…no, elephant strength gin!

Elephant-gin.com £39

Chuckle Berry Gin 40% ABV

Originating from beautiful Cumbria, this is one of those gins that looks as good as it tastes! Even better, it has the best name ever and is actually created from the chuckleberry, which believe it or not, is a real fruit and a hybrid of redcurrant, gooseberry and jostaberry (itself a hybrid of gooseberry and blackcurrant).

With its deep pink colour, this is a standout gin, in every sense. It’s created in a bathtub style (i.e. botanicals are added via maceration rather than distillation), which I’m told, helps preserve more of the fruit’s natural colour.

In addition to chuckleberry, the spirit includes meadowsweet and hyssop as botanicals, which are sold in a 500ml bottle.

The gin tastes divine; sweet, dry, complex and a little bit herby. Small batch as it should be. Love, love, love!

To serve:  1 part gin, to 3 parts premium tonic and a couple of ice cubes. Skip the garnish, it’s not required.

Hoxton Coconut and Grapefruit Gin 40% ABV

Hoxton Gin, is a lighter tasting gin with a very interesting flavour. The flavour profile is far more floral & citrus rather than the traditional herbal or juniper flavour. First your taste buds are hit with the flavour of coconut, which is then immediately followed by the refreshing taste of grapefruit and the lingering flavour of ginger. Tropical notes are delivered throughout the drinking experience.

Unlike the classic gins, there is very little juniper on the nose. Instead, it’s reminiscent of coconut rums (but don’t worry it doesn’t taste like rum!). It’s a wonderfully unconventional play on the traditional gin, making it an absolute joy to sample.

Works perfectly in a range of cocktails – but for best results add to soda and ice, and let the notes shine through! We’ll be whipping this one out all summer!

Master of Malt £26

Hoxton Pink Gin 40% ABV

Hoxton’s Gunpowder and Rosehip gin, isn’t quite what it seems. It transcends a classical pink gin, with an elaborate flavour profile. The botanical stems from the gunpowder tea, alongside rosehip, grapefruit, liquorice, chamomile and elderflower. This is a very floral gin, but the sweetness from the rose is balanced well alongside the sharpness of the citrus and gunpowder tea tannins.

A perfect choice for a pink gin, is obviously tonic naturally well served with a grapefruit garnish! So treat your guests to this delightful off-dry number! We’ll be dropping this one in our hamper for our next picnic and forays in the great outdoors!

Master of Malt £26

Hoxton Banana Rum 40% ABV

Oh boy, Hoxton have done a good job with this one! This banana rum is the perfect blend of spiciness of rum and the exotic fruitiness of banana. The mixture is infused for five weeks, in order for the two flavours to become one!

The aroma is fragrant with banana, and a hint of toffee… think banoffee pie if it was a spirit. On the palate – Banana! Oh so much Banana – with a spicy kick. The aftertaste has a lingering cinnamon flavour. Bold, brash, and banana’ry – but incredibly tasty!

This Caribbean inspired rum is perfect for both sipping, or making fruity cocktails. An essential for wowing guests at your summer parties! For rum lovers and those looking for that tropical taste!

Master of Malt £32

Bullard’s Pineapple, Ginger and Lime Gin 40% ABV

This is Bullard’s Pineapple, Ginger & Lime gin – a beautiful and creative spirit storming onto the gin scene. Bringing a wave of tropical climates and exciting flavours to our glasses this summer

Bullard’s is smooth, snappish and perfumed. With heavy hits of classical juniper and ginger. Then the pineapple – roasted and crisp. Soft notes of lush lime leaf, ginger root and angelica root permeate the palate.

This gin is decadent – and suits an array of wonderful cocktails and tonics. We envision this supporting hazy evenings and trips to the beach. It’s a real go-to spirit, that quite frankly – we’re very fond of!

BullardsSpirits.co.uk £40

Decem Gin 10% ABV

Here’s a delicious, refreshing and extremely light (10% ABV) London Dry Gin that is ideal for those seekling a lighter buzz in the glorious afternoon sunshine. Distilled in the UK by Decem Drinks, you don’t need to be a Roman to appreciate that the word Decem means 10, referring to the alcohol content of their lovely drinkies (Caribbean Rum, Aperitif and Gin).

But taking the name one stage further, the London Dry Gin includes 10 natural ingredients, including Juniper Berries, Corriander, Wormwood, Orris Root, Lemon Peel, Orange Rind, Gentian Root, Angelica, Burdock root and fennel. All these ingredients are steeped for 24 hours, then distilled, capturing all the essential oils and big flavours.

On the nose, peppery, earthy, woody.

On the tongue, the earthy roots are in abundance, brightened up by the juniper and coriander.

If the bottle doesn’t WOW you, the beautifully refreshing liquid will!

DecemDrinks.com £30

Jorvicks Y-Gin 40% ABV

Yet another North English corker, Y-Gin contains a host of botanicals including juniper, cardamom, and liquorice, as well as a more local ingredient – Yorkshire rhubarb!

This small batch delight has an absolute abundance of flavours, making for a perfect sipper OR cocktail. There’s a subtle hint of liquorice behind the scenes here and a scrumptious summer rhubarb and ginger flavour in the foreground, which I just can’t get enough of.

If the beautiful branding doesn’t get you, the flavour certainly will. For me, it’s a steal at the price!

Ellers Farm Distillery £24.99

Fortes Espresso Vodka 40% ABV

Another small batch beauty from Ellers Farm Distillery in North Yorkshire, this has now become an essential party favourite of mine.

Open it up and just float on the delicious roasted coffee and vanilla notes. Then add it to your favourite Espresso Martini recipe and watch the compliments fly in. So good.

Good enough to have straight, this is also delicious straight out of the freezer. On the tongue the flavours really open up to almonds, bitter sweet cacao, dark jammy fruit and silky smooth coffee.

Ellers Farm Distillery £40

Renegade Cane Rum 50%

At 50% ABV, this is a firecracker of a rum originating from the Renegade Rum Distillery in North-East coast of Grenada, using the same production methodology and philosophy as France’s greatest winemakers.

On the back of each bottle is a ‘cane code’ – when entered into an app on Renegade’s website you’ll see a prolific amount of information

about the farm, cane variety and terroir showcasing total transparency. This is really very innovative, interesting, and increasingly important to many of us.

There are 5 expressions available right now, each with a unique personality: Dunfermline, Pearls, Old Bacolet, New Bacolet. We were lucky enough to try our Old Bacolet…

As vibrant on the inside as is the outside, this cane rum has a really clean nose with sweet pastry, slightly nutty, aromas of cider and black cherry.

On the tongue, heaps of texture and depth, warming yet dry and lots of tropical fruit.

Absolutely scrumptious and exactly how cane rums should be.

Royal Mile Whiskies £55

Burleigh’s Raspberry Gin 37.5% ABV

We love a pink gin, and Burleigh’s Raspberry Gin is no exception! In order to retain the sweetness, fresh raspberries and peaches were used in the distillation process. Building upon Burleigh’s signature recipe has created an incredibly smooth and subtle gin – that stand tall amongst a saturated pink gin market.

Although the traditional combination would be tonic water, we enjoyed this with crisp sparkling apple. Don’t be afraid to experiment with other sparkling fruit flavoured drinks and create a unique variety of mixes. This gin just works!

A fabulous combination of juniper and fruity freshness, ready for those barbecues and summer evenings! Burleigh’s never disappoint!

BurlieghsGin.com £25

Inginious 43% ABV

Inginious is a small but powerful gin. Only available in 20cl bottles – but designed to be served in 5ml helpings. Viewed as a low-calorie spirit – you can get 40 servings out of this juicy number! Why? It is highly concentrated, at 43% ABV – so you get more G & T’s for your G! What we also love is this gin comes with a 5ml measuring spoon designed to ensure a perfect Inginious serve!

Formulated alongside spirits experts at Sloemotion Distillery in North Yorkshire, Inginious is led with citrus grapefruit notes, lime and hints of sweet liquorice and ginger spice. The classical botanicals are present – but this gin hits different.

Serve with 150ml of a non-alcohol mixer. Tonic, soda or a fruit led sparkling beverage – and show off this unique alchemic experience with your friends!

We look forward to seeing more, modern and forward thinking drink experiences like Inginious in the future – we’ll be watching this space!

Inginious-gin.co.uk £26

X MUSE Vodka 40% ABV

Let me start by saying that Scottish vodka is massively underrated! I’ve yet to try a bad one, and X Muse is absolutely no exception to that rule. Pronounced ‘Tenth Muse’. This is a blend of 2x vodkas distilled independently, from heritage barley strains. The spring water that makes up the liquid is from source at the Bonnington Estate, which is to the west of Edinburgh.

The bottle itself is a touch of class, but wait until you open it up…

A crystal clear liquid provides a pleasant earthy, slightly green fruity nose. On the palate the green fruit really jumps out, mixed with cider and a peppery spice, which leaves an oaty after taste.

For a vodka, this packs a lot of taste. There’s a silky purity to this liquid that is insane with a Dry Martini. Loving this too much!

Master Of Malt £55

Bardinet Coffee Flavoured Brandy 28% ABV

Taking inspiration from French cafe culture, Bardinet have launched a new coffee flavoured brandy which combines arabica and robusta coffee flavours.

The flavour combination of sweet fruits and a strong bitter coffee offers an excellent array of recipes with their coffee spirit which bring together flavours of brandy, coffee, chocolate, vanilla – all smoothly combined into one absorbing beverage.

This delicious harmony of bittersweet flavours is recommended served neat over ice, in long drinks or mixed in cocktails; and there are so many incredible cocktails to choose from – we’ve dropped some in Black Russian, which was divine – but we’ll be experimenting with this incredible spirit in the future! Brandy Martini anyone?

A perfect warming drink, reminiscent of a strong Italian espresso – perfect for after dinner, or alongside coffee.

Amazon £19

Samuel Gelstons Cream Liqueur 17% ABV

This delightful little number is created by blending decadent milk chocolate and vibrant vanilla, with bold triple distilled Irish Whiskey. A testament to dedication and skills the Samuel Gelston’s brand, and a welcome member to their line-up of other spirits.

For those with a sweet tooth and love of chocolate – Samuel Gelston’s Cream Liqueur is a smooth and spice laden experience – perfect for an evening tipple or treat. Mocha in colour and silky in taste, it has the expected result, and can be enjoyed on its own, over ice, in coffee, hot chocolate or in an array of sweet cocktails and desserts.

We particularly like taking Samuel Gelston’s Cream Liqueur out of the drinks cabinet to share after a hearty meal – before dessert – or hell, as part of the dessert! For an extra special treat try dashing this over some Madagascan vanilla or clotted cream ice cream. It’s truly a dream!

SamuelGelstons.com £17

Lot 40 Rye 43% ABV

We’re a huge fan of the Canadian variant of Whiskys, and the classical transatlantic rye trends in the market. So we were simply delighted to have the privilege of adding Lot 40 Rye to our Summer line up.

Made from 100% rye in small batches, and hand crafted in a copper pot still and double aged in number two and number four new white oak casks.
The spirit is delivered with pronounced earthy rye aromas, backed up by caramel, toffee and orange peel. There are also some solid oak notes. On the palate a complex hue of floral tones emerge at first, followed by cardamom and peppery coriander.

Finally, the finish is staggered twofold with fruity syrup and then dry and bitter tannins. It retains a complex character throughout – and is genuinely one of the best Rye Whiskys we’ve had this year. It has a certain balance to it, unlike many others in its field (excuse the pun!).

We advise this is sampled straight – however other characters can be released over ice. For an extra special tipple, drop this in a Old Fashioned. Rye? Because it’s delicious!

The Whisky Exchange £39

Gentleman Jack 40% ABV

Similarly to the staple Old No 7 Jack Daniels, both whiskeys are maple charcoal filtered and mellowed prior to barrelling. Gentleman Jack goes through another ‘blessing’ when it has another charcoal filter before being bottled, in order to intensify flavour and to add mellowness to the whiskey. Creating the world’s only double mellowed Tennessee whiskey!

It is classically smoky on the nose – what you expect, is what you get. On the tongue you get flavours of oak, burnt sugar and a mild hint of citrus. We love a good Tennessee bourbon – and this whiskey really delivers – if you’re looking to treat yourself and indulge in a higher end Whiskey. Look no further than the gentleman!

Enjoyed on the rocks or as a simple jack and coke combination – or even try it with a dash of ginger ale and a lime wedge for garnish! Yum!

Master of Malt £31

Ciroc Summer Citrus vodka 35% ABV

You always know what you’re getting with Ciroc thanks to its five times distillation from fine French grapes. Always smooth, always delicious and always gone too fast (in our household).

The team at Ciroc are spoiling us rotten this summer with a new Summer Citrus offering, blending orange with other tangy citrus flavours. It’s fruity, balanced, sweet and silky smooth.

It’s lovely straight out of the freezer as a shooter, or for a longer drink, with a tonic or sparkling water and ice. We also suggest adding 1 part vodka, 2 parts cranberry and 2 parts orange juice for a super tasty treat. Garnish with a slice of orange and voila… you’re welcome!

Possibly our fave Ciroc to date, and we’re not even joking!

Drinks & Treats £23