Basic Knowledge
Most of us are used to gin being described either as
London Dry, Navy Strength, Sloe Gins, Old Tom
What perhaps is not so well known is the competition categories into which gins are judged internationally. Depending on geographic location, gins are split into 3 categories:
Western or Contemporary, Speciality, London Dry
London Dry
Most gins fall into the London Dry Category; these gins have a predominantly Juniper taste and are typically very dry, light in body and aromatic. Other botanics which may also feature are : angelica root, orris root, coriander seeds and citrus. The minimum ABV ( Alcohol by Volume) is 37.5%. Our London Dry Gins are all 41% ABV.Our Highland Gins Numbers1,4,17 and 35 are in this category.
LONDON DRY – HIGHLAND GIN
No.7
Fragrance | Very typical variety, high freshness embeded in juniper, light fragrance with berry- like, citrus, oranges, lemon grass, slightly earthy and rooty, carrot, gentian, mint, eucalyptus, lavender, muscat blossom, blossom honey, cocoa, cinnamon bark.
Taste | Rather powerful juniper berry basis, coniferous and resinous, subtle citrus notes, orange peel, grapefruit, clove oil, rooty, gentian, a lot of ginger, mint, floral aspects, lavender, a touch of lovage, compact body, fairly long finish.
Western or Contemporary
On the other hand, Western or Contemporary gins while still demonstrating a subtly Juniper flavour, are enhanced with additional botanicals giving the gin a more complex flavour. We, for instance, include: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, mint, mandarin, tangerine, grapefruit and floral items in our gins. The minimum ABV for this category is 37.5% . All our gins in this category are 41% ABV.Our Highland Gins Numbers 2, 6, 7 and 8 are in this category.
NEW WESTERN STYLE – HIGHLAND GIN
No.2
Fragrance | Nice balance of juniper and a citrus freshness; very typical juniper-like, with nice lemon and exotic green and peppery aspects; delicately rooty with angelica, orange peel and violet aromas.
Taste | Very fresh gin concept, very typical intense juniper with citrus; a lot of orange peel aspects giving a fleshy and juicy texture leading to a delicately rooty, slightly ginger, peppery puncency yet mintaining good tightness and length.
CONTEMPORARY – HIGHLAND GIN
No.6
A surprising and perhaps, fascinating pleasure awaits you.The essence of the wild Scottish Highlands and the magic of the Orient, like a carpet of mosses covered with the colourful mosaics of a thousand years of culture.
A fragrant, multifaceted, and powerful interpretation of the typical juniper aromatics augmented by various botanicals; a lot of citruses, lemon, lime and mandarin with tonka bean, ginger, coffee and lavender coming through.
On the palate, again a multifaceted result is experienced. The complex composition of quite a lot of juniper berries, dosed citrus top notes of orange peel and lime juice, with tonka bean, mint, ginger as well as strong floral components of rosepetals, violets and lavender gives this unique gin a density and smoothness. The result is a lasting length at the finish.
NEW WESTERN STYLE – HIGHLAND GIN
No.8
Fragrance | Very delicate and berry-like stylistics, more raspberry than juniper, delicately nutty, somewhat green background, vegetable touch, cucumber, waxy and peely, citrus, orange, rosemary, thyme, lavender, nettles, coriander, angelica root, a lot of black tea.
Taste | Raspberry also greets the palate, nutty and almond-like, a lot of citrus peel, only subtle freshness with delicate juniper notes, Alpine herbs, lemon thyme, coriander, lavender, delicate blossom honey sweetness, compact, slightly overlaying, good length.
Speciality
Finally, the Speciality Category covers such types as Old Tom, Navy Strength and Sloe Gin. These are distinctive gins with differing characteristics such as a slight sweetness, high alcohol content or distinctive flavour. All, however, possess that recognisable gin flavour, since we use only our award winning gins as the basis. Theminimum ABV for this category varies. However, for Navy Strength gins the minimum is 57% . Our Navy Strength Gin is 57.1%; our Highland Gin Number 29 Old Tom is 41% ABV; and our Highland Gin Number 64 Sloe is 29% ABV.
NAVY STRENGHT – HIGHLAND GIN
No.57
Fragrance | Very typical juniper structure, broad offer of citrus peels, orange, lime, a lot of rose petals, lavender, violet, mint, hoppy, peaty, earthy and mushroom-like.
Taste | Aromatic copy of the fragrance concept, a lot of ethereal oils, juniper berries and citrus peels in duet, lemon, orange, lime, floral appeals, lavender, rosemary, Alpine herbs, great alcohol sweetness, harmonious, full-bodied and long.
SUMMER EDITION – HIGHLAND GIN
No. 57
Summer can be so much more than sunshine; the fresh smell of damp greenery after a Summer downpour, a balmy Summer evening with friends. For us, it is pure pleasure combined with a unique gin; appealing and exquisite, an extraordinary experience for the senses.
The aromas of a present juniper characteristic in combination with the floral touch of violets, lavender and roses provide the basis. The fruitiness of exquisite berries, citrus peel, mandarin, lime, and mint supplemented by a fine spice mixture of ginger, cinnamon, Tonkin bean and coriander complete the complex fragrance experience.
In terms of taste, a continuation of the multi-layered aromas on the palate is continued. Emphasis on juniper with an alcohol sweetness and a light peel bitterness appropriately balanced with resinous rooted and mossy, earthy proportions. In this interplay, citrus peel, meadowwort, vanilla, coriander, cloves, red pepper and lavender are present. In the finish, our 57 Summer offers a pleasant density, length and a warming finale.
NAVY STRENGHT – HIGHLAND GIN
No.57 Orange
Fragrance | Both Juniper and Orange fragrancies predominate; the typical juniper is balanced by a nice orange peel freshness, with aspects of apricot, bitter orange and allspice coming through.
Taste | On the palate, very typical juniper with the freshness of orange peel at the beginning; the fleshy and juicy texture is maintained leading to a delicate slightly spicy finish.
AUTUMNAL – HIGHLAND GIN
No. 57
Fragrance | A nice juniper berry presence, delicately resinous and coniferous, quite broad coniferous spectrum. Delicate citrus, buckthorn, rosehip, woodruff, quince, coriander, thyme, wild berries, quite floral, violet, lavender, rose blossom, delicately rooty and earthy.
Taste | An aromatic image of the fragrance appears on the palate, juniper berry, a lot of wild berries, almost yeasty, quite fruity, medicinal and quince-like, quite a lot of juniper, mint, coriander, thyme, lavender, violet and rose. It has a smooth finish.
CITRUS – HIGHLAND GIN
No. 57
Fragrance | A citrus and freshness bomb. Clear coniferous and resinous juniper berry basis with massive citrus top notes, ethereal and oily, vanilla, kumquat, lime, bergamot and lemon balm coming through.
Taste | On the palate is an aromatic copy of the fragrance. The juniper berry, the intense citrus and peel aromas come through, as does the ethereal and oily quality, kumquat, orange oil, lemon verbena, ginger also come through.
ORIENTAL – HIGHLAND GIN
No. 57
Fragrance | A concept of oriental spices together with fragrances from the forest. Thus the intense spice fragrancies of incense, cardamom, cinnamon, aniseed and pimento, are joined by the clear fragrance of juniper berries, subtle fresh citrus flavours of lemon peel and orange and vegetal reflections of mint and eucalyptus.
Taste | On the palate it is an aromatic copy of the fragrance. The spice content of cardamom, ginger and pimento has a strong presence as does the juniper, broad citrus peel and a floral diversity of violet, lavender and rose blossom. It is compact and full bodied.
FORBIDDEN FRUIT – HIGHLAND GIN
No. 57
The grapefruit, once known as “the forbidden fruit” or even as one of “the seven wonders of Barbados”, the place of its creation as a hybrid between the sweet orange and the pomelo. Our Navy strength No 57 gin takes the “ Forbidden fruit” label because of its lively citrus freshness, its orange peel and grapefruit flavours.
The animating aroma of orange and grapefruit is linked to that of forrest berries. Coniferous notes come through and in the background the unmistakeable juniper aroma is joined by flower notes of lavender and violets and hints of nutmeg, some ginger and cardamom are present.
On the palate, the extraordinary arrangement continues; to the subtle juniper berry flavour is added a mix of ripe citrus pulp, orange peel, lemon, rose oil, lavender, violet, cardamom, ginger and pepper. A pleasant density and length complete the pure enjoyment.
Sloe
The Parliament Enclosures Act of 1773 during the reign of King George III, was enacted to divide up formerly common land to provide legal property rights for prospective landowners. The hedgerows that were constructed to divide up the land were commonly constructed of Blackthorn, Prunus spinosa, creating bumper crops of Sloe berries that, although they were tart and astringent by themselves, were soon used by the locals to add to gin. Simply adding the Sloes made the gin of that time more palatable, since it was notorious for its cheapness and availability but also for its poor quality, and adding the Sloes enhanced the gin and the staple English Autumnal beverage was born.
At the Fairytale Distillery while we support the traditional way to make Sloe Gin: we obtain the best Sloes, use one of our 2020 World Spirits Award winning gins but do not use sugar! You still get the award winning gin taste ( a delicate juniper with an oil pungency, orange like, slight mushroom notes, a hint of lavender with a full bodied and long after- taste) but subtly flavoured with the Sloes. This gives our Highland Gin Number 64 a plum like addition, with a hint of dark chocolate, raisin, creating a harmonious and a slightly sweet almond like finish.
