Advertisement feature: Free samples provided for this review. Opinion entirely that of From the Gin Shelf.
Country
Scotland
Tonic
Classic
Key Flavours
Juniper, citrus and earthy spice
Garnish
Slice of pink grapefruit
ABV
42%
Price
Under £30
Country
Scotland
Tonic
Classic
Key Flavours
Juniper, citrus and earthy spice
Garnish
Slice of pink grapefruit
ABV
42%
Price
Under £30
A family secret
Part of what I love about craft gins are the stories behind the brands. Hearing about the passion, blood, sweat and tears that goes into production gives me that added level of investment in a gin. While gin’s obviously primarily about the taste, it’s not enough anymore. The people behind the brand can give it that extra lift.
Pickering’s enjoy a more unique story than most. And it’s one that dates back over 70 years – to 17 July 1947 and a handwritten fragment of paper. Given to them by a friend of co-founder Marcus Pickering’s father, it contained the recipe from which Pickering’s adapted their gin. What had remained a family secret for 66 years has now resulted in one of Scotland’s best known gin brands.
Created at Summerhall in Edinburgh on the site of an old animal hospital, the distillery is a favourite with tourists to Scotland’s capital, and it was the city’s first exclusive gin distillery for over 150 years. Regular tours are available with the distillery now part of a vibrant arts hub at the venue, where the recipe takes pride of place on the wall for all to see.
Teaming up with friend and co-founded, Matthew Gammell, Pickering’s gin was perfected and released in 2014. Read on below for our review and details of its tasting notes and how to create the perfect serve.
Botanicals
juniper, coriander, cardamom, angelica, fennel, anise, lemon, lime and cloves
Botanicals in Pickering’s Gin
Pickering’s Gin contains eight of the nine botanicals from the original recipe, replacing cinnamon with angelica (Pickering’s have since released a gin to the exact 1947).
The botanicals are reasonably traditional, with usual suspects coriander, angelica and citrus – and, of course, juniper.
Spice and herbal notes are also present from the cardamom, anise, fennel and cloves.
Botanicals in Pickering’s Gin
Pickering’s Gin contains eight of the nine botanicals from the original recipe, replacing cinnamon with angelica (Pickering’s have since released a gin to the exact 1947).
The botanicals are reasonably traditional, with usual suspects coriander, angelica and citrus – and, of course, juniper.
Spice and herbal notes are also present from the cardamom, anise, fennel and cloves.
Botanicals
juniper, coriander, cardamom, angelica, fennel, anise, lemon, lime and cloves
The botanical engineers
Every drop of Pickering’s Gin is distilled and bottled at Summerhall. Exporting to 17 countries across the globe, they produce roughly 2,500 bottles a day, which to date equates to over half a million in total!
The distillery was transformed by co-founder Matthew Gammell. An engineer by trade, they’ve created their own unique distillation system, which has helped give rise to their nickname of the “botanical engineers”.
Key to their process is the custom-designed bain marie heating system, which allows them to control the temperature to within 1°C of accuracy. This gentle simmering helps to get the smoothness they’re looking for in their London Dry.
The botanicals are macerated for 24 hours in grain spirit and water in their two 500 litre copper stills – Gertrude and Emily – named after Marcus and Matt’s maternal great-grandmothers. The bain marie water bath then gently heats the stills before the vapour is cooled. The head and tails are recycled in the next batch, while the hearts is diluted to 42% ABV by hand.
Creating the perfect serve
- Add plenty of ice to a glass
- Pour in 50ml of Pickering’s Gin
- Mix with a premium classic tonic to taste
- Garnish with a wedge of pink grapefruit
- Gently stir with a bar spoon
Pickering’s Gin
to taste
On the face of it, Pickering’s Gin is a classic dry gin – juniper envelopes the senses on the nose before a rush of sweet citrus. These two flavours come to the fore on the palate, before giving way to the warm, earthy finish of fennel and cardamom. It’s a really smooth, well-crafted gin.
I tried a few combinations for a gin and tonic, settling on Fever Tree Mediterranean, garnished with lime – which goes a little against the serve recommended by Pickering’s themselves. While the Mediterranean was my favourite, the Refreshing Light Mediterranean was surprisingly not!
The flavour journey was a little different with a G&T than when tasted neat, particularly on the finish. The refreshing citrus and juniper on the palate was extremely pleasant, but it quickly gave way to a lengthy herbal and earthy finish. This was far more prominent with tonic – perhaps too much for my tastes.
Having recently reviewed and raved about Ginerostiy Gin, which is also made by Pickering’s at Summerhall, this is probably more down to my palate preference than anything else.
