
Disclosure: bottle of Mermaid Pink Gin sent by the distiller for review. Opinions entirely that of the author.
Mermaid Pink Gin
The gin boom shows no sign in slowing down. Central to this is the rise in flavoured expressions, and in particular, pink gins. Following an exciting rebrand of their flagship gin, Isle of Wight Distillery expanded into the pink gin market in June 2019. Read my review to find out all you need to know about Mermaid Pink Gin.Story.
Mermaid’s Kiss
Situated just off England’s south coast sits the Isle of Wight. The island’s first (and only) distillery was licensed in 2014 with two friends at the helm, Xavier Baker and Conrad Gauntlett. Both had worked in the drinks industry with Xavier being a brewer and Conrad’s experience being in wine production. Their flagship Mermaid Gin was launched in 2015 and Isle of Wight distillery now produces a range of spirits including whisky, vodka and rum.A truly stunning rebrand
Mermaid Gin takes its name from the signature botanical, rock samphire (known locally as “mermaid’s kiss”), which grows around the cliffs of the island. And in 2019, the distillery took their identity to a whole new level with a stunning rebrand. Taking a year to bring to fruition, the bottle design is now truly an extension of the brand, featuring sculpted glass scales across the entire bottle. As well as being a work of art, the new packaging also expanded on Isle of Wight Distillery’s sustainable ethos. In addition to being made from recycled glass, the packaging is certified 100% plastic-free by A Plastic Planet – whose mark you can see on the back of the bottle.
The Process.
Locally grown strawberries
The original Mermaid Gin is used as a base to make the Pink expression. The addition? Strawberries from the island’s Arreton Valley. These strawberries are steeped in the original for four days. Half of the liquid is then redistilled, before adding back into the original infusion. Unlike many pink/flavoured gins on the market, Mermaid Pink has zero added sugar.
To create the original Mermaid Gin, its ten botanicals are steeped in spirit overnight to help release the essential oils and flavours. Column stills are then used in the distillation process and the distillate is rested for seven days to allow the flavours to blend and the high alcohols to evaporate. The spirit is then chill-filtered and cut back with RO water (i.e. water that’s undergone reverse osmosis) to 42%. More gin reviews
BOTANICALS
English strawberries, rock samphire, elderflower, grains of paradise, organic lemon zest, bodicea hops, English coriander, angelica root, liquorice root, juniper, orris root


RECOMMENDED SERVE
How to serve Mermaid Pink Gin
- Add plenty of ice to a glass
- Add 50ml of gin
- Pour 150ml of quality light tonic water
- Garnish with fresh lime, strawberries and mint
- Stir gently and serve





Tasting notes.
Neat
Sipped neat, the strawberry jumps to the front of the palate – aromatic and full-bodied. With (thankfully) no added sugar, it’s not sickly, and all the sweetness comes from its natural ingredients. The finish is enduring with a slight salinity coating the tongue. At 38% it’s not overpowering, and it’s one many could enjoy neat over ice.With no added sugar, Mermaid Pink Gin is not sickly, and all the sweetness comes from its natural ingredients.
With tonic
With tonic, the journey is elongated somewhat, but less intense. It opens up the sweetness of the strawberry further and it’s an extremely refreshing drink. The recommended serve is with fresh lime, strawberries and mint, and those flavours work really well. Given the sweetness, I’d go for a light tonic.
The distillery also suggests trying Mermaid Pink as a summer fruit cup with ginger ale.