Tasting Notes: Chew Valley London Dry Gin (June 2022 Subscription)
Chew Valley and its head distiller.
Ahoy, my brothers and sisters of the wave!
A few months ago, as I was relaxing in the reading room of the Nautilus and fancied a tipple. Nothing unusual there. As I perused the gin collection, I stumbled across a bottle of gin I’d not yet tried. I had previously been sent some different gins from the friendly chap at Chew Valley Distillery, based in the delightfully named Chew Magma in Somerset. I had enjoyed their Clementine and Cranberry gin, a surprisingly dry affair with the titular botanicals subtly balanced but for some reason, old age perhaps, I had not found the time to try their London Dry.It was an absolute revelation, so I charted a course for Bristol Harbour to load up several cases of the stuff and now, dear crew, I pass this to you. This month I have little to say about the area or historical associations of the gin so I thought I’d briefly dip into a bit of general history. I’ve previously written about the gin craze but I’ve not yet delved into how the drink came to these shores in the first place. So, once again I request your attention and indulgence.
I could write about the origins and causes of the Thirty Years War (1618-48) but like all the European wars of that period it concerns a ridiculously complex web of politics, royalty and religion. It would be difficult to explain and a little dry to read. Also, frankly, I don’t understand it. Suffice to say, it involved a lot of states, a lot of leaders and resulted in a lot of people dying. Up to 8 million in fact. The wealthy at this stage weren’t shy about resolving their differences by ordering vast numbers of poor people to their death. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, as the French might say, and probably did, twiddling their moustaches and pondering philosophically, before being slain on the battlefield after joining in the war in 1635.
The important part of this story is that the Dutch and English fought alongside each other. At the time, the juniper-based drink Genever was very popular in the Dutch Republic. The Spanish, whom they were fighting, had a reputation for being skilled soldiers and were an intimidating proposition for the soldiers. In order to prepare themselves psychologically, the Dutch and English would have a dram of Genever before going into battle. This is where we get the phrase ‘Dutch Courage’ from.
After the war the English soldiers returned home and, having developed a taste for the stuff, tried to make their own. However, genever is derived from malted grain so it has a whisky-like sweetness and a depth they were unable to recreate so it tasted very different to genever. It would also be unrecognisable as gin to our 21st century palates, but gin it was.
Still awake at the back? Well done.
The Chew Valley Distillery started producing gin just before the first lockdown back in February 2020 after three months of experimenting. They’re clearly quick learners as their London Dry and Navy Strength are two of the best gins I’ve tried and they’ve won a raft of awards. They use 11 botanicals in their London Dry. So pour yourself a splash and join me.
On the nose I get a small touch of anise, plenty of lemon and an underlying sweetness. That lemon continues on the palate but it’s not like a normal citrus forward gin, it’s more a zesty sweetness that doesn’t dominate. There’s a surprising earthiness at the end with a lingering anise. This is the easiest dry gin to sip on that I’ve tried this year. It’s almost as smooth as an Old Tom. I love that distillers continue to make dry gins that surprise and delight me.
For the mixers this month, in addition to classic tonic, I’ve included some mediterranean tonic which will emphasise the lemon. I’ve also included lemon as garnish. I’d go for a slice of peel but it’ll be fine whichever way you cut it, so to speak.
If you fancy something more fruity, for your extra miniature this month you have some Ruby Irish Gin from the Mourne Dew Distillery in Newry, Northern Ireland. Expect an explosion of red berry sweetness and tartness. Add tonic and sunshine!
Until next time, my brave sailors, enjoy this South-West wonder!
Your loyal Captain