IT’S not often you taste something that could become a new classic, but at the tail end of the Annus Horribilis, I got to do just that with a product that's a fresh new twist on gin.
Gin is one of the classic drinks that has survived for centuries in the same basic format, so it takes a very brave or slightly eccentric producer to veer off the reservation. Thankfully every now and then, someone tries. While most gin innovations never really go anywhere, The House of Macduff distillers have come up with a style that I believe could be a new classic, Fifty Fifty. Fifty percent of the gin is aged for 20 years, yes, 20 years and in virgin oak. Virgin oak, by the way, simply refers to previously unused barrels rather than a sexually naive tree.
The result is a quite extraordinary new experience for gin lovers like myself. There's a complexity and depth of flavour that you don't normally see in gin but there's enough of the classic refreshing juniper base to reassure traditionalists and the colour....oh my.
It’s light yet complex, refreshing and invigorating, so for me, it's the perfect partner to relax with after a bit of excess with the vino in recent weeks. I've found it’s also a cracking partner with a turkey salad, especially chilled to the bone with a really good tonic. It’s worth pointing out that you should always use a really good tonic because the cheap ones are often over-heavy on the flavour of quinine and can taste like chilled mouthwash.
I’ll leave it to the boys and girls at Paisley's Macduff to decide if they are brave or eccentric, but I take my hat off to them all the same.
Fifty Fifty Gin
I don't normally go for wood aged gins but this is really classy, looks fabulous and tastes gorgeous in a G&T with a couple of slices of cucumber. Seriously folks, this is a new classic and a must for all gin lovers.
Houseofmacduff.co.uk £55
Solway Spirits Cortes Gin
Infused with dried elderflower and vanilla pods, this is a corker with a lovely floral, refreshing nose and a slight hint of sweetness to the palate. I found it superb with tonic and a slice of orange. It's easy to see why it got a gold medal in the Scottish Field Gin Awards.
Solway Spirits £32.95
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