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Archive for the ‘Gin’ Category

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Review: Sheringham Seaside Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 30, 2020

Sheringham Distillery is located in Sooke B.C., a locale which overlooks the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Southern Vancouver Island. The name ‘Sheringham” is an homage to the name original name given to the area in 1846. When the first postal service arrived and the first Post Office was built, the name Sheringham was shortened to ‘Shirley’ so that it would fit properly on the postage stamp. (The Distillery was originally located at Shirley B.C which is about 20 minutes north of Sooke.)

Sheringham Seaside Gin is produced from B.C. grown white wheat and malted barley, natural botanicals and sustainable hand-harvested local winged kelp (Alaria marginata). Named botanicals on the back of the bottle also include, juniper, Coriander, Citrus, Rose, Anise and Lavender. The spirit has won a string of awards, a Silver Medal at the San Fransisco Spirit Awards in 2017, a CASC Gold medal in 2018, and in 2019 at the World Gin Awards the spirit was named World’s Best Contemporary Gin.

I served Sheringham Seaside Gin at a tasting event I held for my friends, and some of the commentary included in the review includes their thoughts as well as my own.

Here is a link to my review:

Review: Sheringham Seaside Gin

“… The Seaside gin was bringing a beautifully balanced aroma of juniper accented with bright citrus and spicy coriander into the air. There was a nice floral flair accompanying those olfactory sensations, and meandering within all of that was a light breezy quality that reminded everyone of the seashore perhaps even with a hint of salt …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with my serving suggestion, The Lady of the Empire.

Chimo!

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Review: Last Straw Distillery Golden Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 23, 2020

The Last Straw Distillery is Ontario’s smallest production micro-distillery located at 40 Pippin Rd. in Vaughan, Ontario (a wee bit north of Toronto) just off Highway 400 and around the corner from Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre.

I reviewed The distillery’s Gin Twenty-One last year and found myself very impressed that this relatively young distillery was making such a nice gin so quickly. This led me to inquiring about their aged Golden Gin which I was planning to review last summer. I did manage to include the spirit in a blind Twitter Tasting where I pitted the spirit against two other oaked gins, but the review never materialized due to some unexpected tribulations on the home front.

When I checked Last Straw’s website (here) I saw that this limited edition Gin was still available so I included it in my first Gin Tasting of 2020 and have decided to complete that review today.

Here is a link to the new review:

Review: Last Straw Distillery Golden Gin

” … Piny juniper, hints of licorice/fennel, bits of coriander and citrus peel. Maybe a hint of sandalwood and ginger. and some vague lemon balm. Something vegetable creeping into the breezes …

Please enjoy my review which concludes with my serving suggestion, the Lemon Fizz.

Chimjo!

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#Ginuary Review: Black Fox Oaked Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 15, 2020

Black Fox Distillery (located at 245 Valley Road Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) was founded by John Cote and Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote, two third generation farmers who have farmed, studied, consulted and participated in agriculture on five different continents. The distillery comes by its name from a fortunate visitor to the Cote’s farmyard at Leask, a municipality about 80 kilometers southwest of the City of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

The Black Fox apparently had made a home nearby and could be seen scampering away when John and Barb headed out in the morning.  They even saw him playing with another red fox in the field. Two foxes playing together is not an unfamiliar scene on the prairies, but this scene was transformed into something special by a black fox.

Black Fox Oaked Gin was aged for six to eight months in a virgin American White Oak barrel after the spirit vapours had gently extracted the botanical flavours and aromas during distillation. The interaction between the oak and the botanicals brings forward a more complex gin with new flavours to discover.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Black Fox Oaked Gin

“… The nose is quite complex with juniper hiding within impressions of vanilla, caramel and light oak spices. Burnt orange peel, hints of clove and nutmeg give us a fleeting impression of Christmas spices, and then we notice a little licorice. Just as with my previously reviewed Black Fox #3, they is a floral flair in the air …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with my cocktail recommendation, the Black Fox Negroni.

Chimo!

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#Ginuary Review: Black Fox Gin #3

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 10, 2020

Black Fox Distillery (located at 245 Valley Road Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) was founded by John Cote and Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote, two third generation farmers who have farmed, studied, consulted and participated in agriculture on five different continents.

John told me that their distillery is a bit different from most of the others in the area as John and Barb ferment, distill and age all of their spirits right there at the distillery.  According to John, in Saskatchewan approximately 90% of craft distilled products are coming from NGS (nuetral grain spirit) purchased from large manufactures. Black Fox Distillery is trying to show the world that there should be a bit more craft in craft spirits.

Black Fox Gins are numbered because they are hand made in single batches. Each time, depending on the ingredients John and Barb have in their fields, the batch will be little bit different than the last one. In the case of Black Fox Gin #3, it is constructed from a recipe of 15 different spices and flowers which includes Calendula flowers and rhubarb grown on the distillery farm. Triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye) distillate is used as the base spirit.

Here is a link to my review of Black Fox Gin #3:

Review: Black Fox Gin #3

“… subdued notes of juniper and coriander/cardamom rising into the breezes. The gin has a light floral quality which may be indicative of the Calendula flowers although with fifteen botanicals in all we very well may have other botanicals contributing as well …”

Please enjoy the review which includes my recipe for the wonderful Black Fox #3 Gin and Tonic.

Chimo!

 

 

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#Ginuary Review: Burwood Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 6, 2020

The Burwood Distillery is a small craft distillery founded by Jordan Ramey, Marco Cilic, and Ivan Cilic located in Calgary Alberta (4127 6th Street N.E). The Distillery includes a restaurant and Cocktail Lounge which offers a casual environment to enjoy the not only the distilleries fine spirits but also locally sourced farm-to-table menu items.

The distillery was hand-built and styled after a mixture of old-world Eastern European & Scottish farm-styled distilleries combined with new world craft beer methodologies. To help bring this unique facility to life, Marko spent tireless hours building the distillery, literally from the dirt floor up.

To produce their gin, the team performed over 80 gin deconstructions to help them select their botanical recipe. Although I am not necessarily privy to the entire recipe, the website hints that Juniper and Coriander were given starring roles within the spirit elevated by Citrus and Lemon Grass. Szechuan Pepper adds a touch of spice which is tempered by the addition of Dragon Well Green Tea.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Burwood Gin

“… In the breezes, juniper takes the lead with a touch of spiciness and some bright citrus following. That spiciness is likely a product of both the Coriander and the Szechuan Pepper botanicals. There is a mild scent of lemon in the air as well as a light earthiness which seems to meld the scents together …”

Please enjoy my #Ginuary review!

Chimo!

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