Tasting Notes: Campfire London Dry Gin & Ultrasonic Gin (April 2022 Subscription)

There was an Old Person of Tring,

Who embellished his nose with a ring;

He gazed at the moon,

Every evening in June,

That ecstatic Old Person of Tring

Edward Lear, A Book of Nonsense (1846)

Ahoy there,

I dearly hope that all my shipmates are fighting fit and not getting too confused by the mixed messages of a British springtime. After last month’s unusual and wonderful Red Wine cask-aged gin from Firkin, I thought it might be a good time to feature a more traditional London Dry, courtesy of the Puddingstone Distillery from Tring in Hertfordshire.

“Tell us about Tring, Captain!”.

My pleasure. Tring is a market town, mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, that actually goes back as far as prehistoric times. However, in this month’s notes I’d like to tell you not about the town itself but about one of its most famous residents - a gentleman by the name of John Washington. 

Born in Tring in 1633, John, the son of a local clergyman, served as an apprentice merchant gaining an education in colonial trade, eventually managing to invest in a merchant ship. He joined the vessel as first mate and set sail for Virginia in North America. The plan was to fill the ship with tobacco from plantations before returning to Europe to sell the cargo. 

Little could he have known the historical importance of this decision.No sooner had the return voyage started when he became shipwrecked in the Potomac river. The ship was repaired but Washington decided to stay behind. Over the course of his life he became a prominent member of the colony, establishing himself as a successful tobacco planter, judge, and officer in the local militia. More importantly for the sake of this story, he married and had several children while he was there. His eldest son, Lawrence, would take over the family business but was far more interested in politics than plantations, as was Lawrence’s son Augustine. Augustine’s son, and John’s great-grandson, George also took to politics in 1749 and would go on to play a central role in the American War of Independence. In 1789, 132 years after his great-grandfather’s fateful shipwreck, George did of course become the first President of the United States.

After the USA, Tring’s second greatest contribution to humanity is, in my not terribly humble opinion, Campfire Gin. I’ve been waiting for a good time to treat you to Campfire - my dilemma was which of their gins to feature. All of them are worthy of my shipmates but it’s their signature London Dry which just about comes out on top.

The first thing you’ll notice on the nose is how complex this is. It’s been a while since I’ve featured a gin that has so much going on. There’s pine notes, earthy juniper, some fruity notes and even a touch of sweetness which reminded me of an Old Tom (they also have an Old Tom, which is excellent, but that’s another story). That complexity on the nose does not translate into a confusion of tastes. On the contrary - it’s well balanced and rich, but not as oily as other gins. Finally you get a finish that manages to be both sweet and peppery - consequently it’s full of flavour but exceptionally smooth.

For garnish I’ve gone with the distillers’ recommendation and included an orange from which you can add a twist. For mixers, naturally, I recommend plain tonic but have also included Bitter Orange and Elderflower, just in case the sun shows its face and you fancy a garden drink. Perhaps with your mystery miniature, which is a fascinating and somewhat unique proposition. 

Ben and Kate, the pair behind Puddingstone are passionate about wildlife and the great outdoors, thus the ‘Campfire’ range. As part of a fundraising collaboration with Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, they’ve produced a small batch gin. Inspired by the flight of bats in the English countryside they’ve used ultrasonic frequencies in the distillation process. 

Their Ultrasonic gin, which you’ll find in your 50ml bottle, has a more summery profile than their London Dry. Slightly sweeter, with notes of elderflower on the palate and apple and mint on the finish. Like the Dry, it’s a refreshing and light gin.

That is it for this month. I think it might be time to disembark from the Nautilus and have a little campfire of my own. Cheers!

Love and barnacles
The Captain