Sheringham Distillery “Seaside” Gin, Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Alcohol 43%) LCBO $43.95 (750ml “lozenge” glass bottle)
In my line of work, I taste a fair amount of gin. Couple that with my little penchant for the occasional *cough* G&T, and I think it would be fair to say that I’d be up there as one of the top gin consumers in Grey County (by both volume and quality).
With all this in mind, I’d like to draw your attention to this absolutely smashing gin from Sheringham Distillery out on Vancouver Island, which may well be one of the best gins I have had the pleasure of tasting over the decades.
Over the years, I’ve been drawn to a few gins (and rums!) using sea kelp as a botanical/ingredient, but this one adds an absolutely divine floral element through the use of local lavender and rose, and that really knocks it out of the park.
This small batch gin comes in a rather handsome lozenge glass bottle with “olde fashioned” front labelling. The back label is a little more colourful, with stylised illustrations of the various botanicals used (juniper, rose, lavender, citrus, and winged kelp).
As I mentioned, when it is in the glass, this is all about the floral notes for me; these elements really lift the other aromatics present. Even the usual suspects of juniper and citrus seem elevated and more ethereal than one usually experiences. This was a real epiphany for me.
In the mouth, this gin shows a lot of restraint, and that’s not something that comes easily to juniper without some serious care in the distillation process. Even the citrus, while certainly still present, plays second or third fiddle to all that gorgeous florality. The winged kelp kicks into action here, bringing an utterly bewitching smokey, briny, iodine quality to both the mid and back palates. Although it’s not mentioned in any of the marketing materials, I did sense a touch of the classic gin coriander spice lingering here.
As I’m not really one for Martinis, I rarely drink gin by itself, but I made an exception for this Seaside gin. I find it interestingly complete even without the addition of any mixer.
Saying all that, it performed exceptionally well alongside some decent tonic water (Reid’s 1642 did just the job), and with lemon. Gin with lime gives me the shivers; it’s just not for me.
I was extremely impressed by this gin, and while it’s definitely a bit more expensive than, say, your standard London Dry gin, I’d say that it was worth every penny.
Research shows that Sheringham Distillery also produce a whole range of other gins and spirits. If the quality of their Seaside gin is anything to go by, hopefully we’ll see those other lines in our market sometime soon.
Absolutely gorgeous gin.
(Five out of a possible five apples, so pretty damn good!)
Sheringham Distillery are represented in Ontario by Select Wines.
Select Wines are a Good Food Fighter.
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