Tasting Notes: York Gin London Dry & York Gin Roman Fruit (August Subscriptions)

Ahoy shipmates!

I hope you’re all fit, healthy and happy, and that life on board our cramped but cheery, metallic undersea vessel has treated you well. I’ve heard that summer in Britain has been a rather wet affair of late, but us submariners are not afraid of a bit of moisture!

So what’s in this month’s exquisite cargo? Why, it’s something special from the York Gin distillery. 

People were making gin in York as far back as the 1700s so while York Gin, started in 2018, can’t claim to be the city’s first distillery, they can claim to be the city’s first legal distillery. The lovely folk at York Gin have taken inspiration from their city and its history. Their Grey Lady gin is named after one of the city’s many ghosts and their Chocolate and Orange Gin was inspired by York being the birthplace of the Terry’s Chocolate Orange!

York has always been fascinating to historians as it’s been important during so many eras. Before the Romans founded it as a city in 71AD, the region was occupied by the Brigante tribe whose queen Cartimandua made allyship with Rome. Before that, evidence of settlements going back as far as 7000 BC have been found. After the fall of the Roman empire, it was famously captured by Vikings under Ivar the Boneless (who, I have learned to my disappointment, despite his name, was not an amorphous pile of skin and organs) whereupon it gained its name. 

So, what of the Distillery? Founded with an ethical ideology, similarly to the Smugglers’ Club, York Gin have sustainability and respect as an essential part of their business. Like the Smugglers’ Club, they are plastic free (actually we sometimes have gin with a small plastic seal so they’re better than us) and have a similar approach to recycling in that they reuse the materials sent by their suppliers. There’s a difference between a large corporation just using environmental boasts in their marketing and doing the bare minimum through offsetting, and businesses who have built themselves around sustainability. York Gin are every inch the latter. Anyway that’s the serious stuff out of the way. Let’s put that aside for now and do what we love - drinking Gin!

London Dry

Their London  Dry Gin uses Yorkshire grain to make their base alcohol which is then vapour infused with their signature botanicals - juniper, coriander, cinnamon, orris root, angelica, cardamom, black pepper, lemon peel and grains of paradise. 

On the nose, you’ll detect juniper and spices and on the palate what you’ll find is something that sits between a traditional London Dry and a modern spiced gin. Citrus sits lower in the profile than it does with a lot of gins which I found refreshing. The finish brings the piquant notes of grain of paradise but is well balanced and smooth.

For garnish I’ve included some Juniper berries. In your box, you’ll also find two types of tonic - Indian and the subtle flavourings of Mediterranean. Both of which will showcase the botanicals without overpowering.

Roman Fruit 

To make their Roman Fruit gin, they, over a two week period, infuse Yorkshire made fruit tea bags (featuring fruit and flowers available in the region during Roman times - strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples and hibiscus) into their London Dry Gin to create something that’s different to other fruit gins I’ve tried.

On the nose there’s an enchanting breeze of syrupy red fruit. Upon tasting, the fruit flavour remains and is accompanied by prominent juniper before a smooth finish with subtle earthy notes. York’s Roman Fruit is complex with a full red berry, fruity taste but the sweetness is low in the profile. This is a fruity gin to suit all palates.

For garnish I’ve included organic dried blackberries. In your box, you’ll also find two types of tonic - Indian and the subtle flavourings of Mediterranean as well as a premium lemonade for those of you looking for a sweeter drink to sip while lazing in the sun.

Love and barnacles

The Captain

.