Bathtub Gin (700ml)

Winner - Best Compound Gin - 2020 World Gin Awards.

The name "Bathtub gin" originally referred to any style of homemade spirit made in amateur conditions. It was first used in 1920 during the prohibition-era in the United States, with reference to the poor quality alcohol that was being made in home bath tubs and mixed into cocktails to disguise its coarse flavour. Obviously, this contemporary version is not that sort of gin. Launched in 2011, it was the very first product from Atom Brands, the innovative team responsible for That Boutiquey Whisky Company and Drinks by the Dram, amongst others. 

The gin is created using the traditional method of ''cold compounding''. High quality copper pot-still spirit is twice infused with juniper, orange peel, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. This double-infusion process allows fresh botanical flavours that might be too delicate to survive the distillation process to shine through the finished drink. Production is restricted to ultra-small batches of just 30-60 bottles at a time and the length of the compounding period is controlled entirely by periodic sampling. Our tasting found a lifted, complex bouquet including crushed pine buds, lemon cough drops, sweet oregano plus notes of pepper, cinnamon and cardamom. Medium-bodied, the palate follows with attractive spicy, woody-juniper flavours and a glowing white pepper, citrus zest, pine and Fisherman's Friend finish. Vivacious and drier-styled, this is very easy to like - as is the distinctive presentation; the bottle is wrapped in brown paper and completed with string and wax to resemble a Victorian apothecary. As for mixing, the creators recommend keeping it simple - premium tonic, or lots of ice and a slice of orange to garnish. 43.3% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... The nose is heavy with juniper, cinnamon and cardamom; orange oil adds a touch if citrusy depth. Overall, the nose is quite heavy. The palate builds quietly, with cinnamon, orange and juniper culminating all at once. As they fade, fresh cracked juniper berry gives way to notes of forest and clove. The finish is quite long with cinnamon and orange again dominating. Very smooth spirit overall, but heavy on the spices and herbs. In cold compounded gins, you definitely get a side of common ingredients like cinnamon that you don’t always pick up when they are distilled. For example... you almost get a more literal fresh-ground-cinnamon note in here. Bathtub/cold-compounded/infused gins are fantastic for beginners at picking out tasting notes, learning how to decouple flavor accords. While distilling can be transformative and surprising (coriander for example), bathtub gins are much more literal to the ingredients in the way you’re used to tasting them. Right from the spice jar if you may have it. - theginisin.com

Winner - Best Compound Gin - 2020 World Gin Awards

Gold Medal - 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition