Gin Explorer reviews
Not wanting to ring our own bells or anything, but thanks to the fabulous people at Gin Festival, last month we were able to send a group of MumsClub reviewers a special parcel full of Gin goodies and as you can imagine there was some excitement at the prospect of this little gem. Yes, we absolutely made that possible for our members; being a MumsClub reviewer is totes one of the best jobs around…
But we digress, here’s what we’ve all been waiting for; the results.
You’re welcome.
A little about Gin Festival.
in 2012, husband and wife team, Marie and Jym created Gin Festival because of their love of the tipple. They started to plan after discovering that no one else was doing anything like it. You won’t be surprised to know that while it was actually Jym’s idea, Marie was the one who made it happen. We interviewed Marie about her work as a mum in business, feel free to go take a look, it’s an inspiring read.
Our reviewer panel each received an attractive parcel through the post with four sample Gin’s and various other items to accompany the parcel.
Rachel’s – 6 o’clock, Ish London dry, Zymurgorium’s Manchester, strawberry gin liqueur
Its very exciting to receive a Gin Explorer box – there is definitely something to be said for getting wonderfully packaged items in the post. The cardboard box is shaped like an old fashioned suitcase. Inside, as you unwrap the tissue, you see a box of goodies awaiting you – 4 sample gins, plus I also had little Gin Explorer “stick of rock” mints, a hotel-sized pot of marmalade (for making cocktails with but I suspect it will end up on my husband’s toast), a little cloth tea-bag of infusion for pepping up bog-standard gin, a bottle of artisan tonic, plus a Gin Explorer map.
The bottles are 50ml each, I had 3 normal gins and a strawberry gin liqueur. I tried one per night – the gin map has the recommended garnish so I made sure I had those in for the taste testing. Got to do it properly. They were all very nice but gin number 3 was amazingly good, not sure if it was the combination of good gin and the artisan tonic though, as this is the one I used it for. It does seem to make a massive difference so I wish I’d done a controlled experiment and tried it with all of them.
The subscription is £24.99 every month – I think it is worth it if you really love gin – you get a discount code for the gins you try to get 10% off if you decide to buy a bottle, so you can get some of that back. I would definitely go for it if I could do every other month, or once every three months for example. If you compare it to e.g. wine clubs, it is a similar outlay per month, so if gin is your thing – go explore!
Lucy’s – 6 o’clock gin, Ish London dry, Zymurgorium’s Manchester Gin, Little Scarlet Strawberry gin liqueur
As some one who was nick named ‘Ginandtonix’ at university I leapt at the chance to become a Gin Explorer. My first thought was that gin is gin isn’t it? Gordon’s or London, they all taste the same don’t they? Well no. This lively and fun box of discovery shows how varied one drink can be.
To get you in the mood for adventure the box is designed like a suitcase, and the contents are attractively packaged in tissue paper. Inside I found four little bottles of gin, a bottle of tonic, an ‘Infugintonic’, sweeties and strangely a little pot of orange marmalade. Intrigued, I picked up the leaflet to learn more. Were they advocating gin and marmalade for breakfast?
The chatty and informative leaflet takes you on a gin themed trip of Spain this month, explaining the influences, history and flavours of the four bottles as they go. Clean smooth and slightly lemony the 6 o’clock gin was every thing you want from a gin. Ish London dry was slightly more unusual with a bitter almond and resin after taste, but fresh and delicious. Zymurgorium’s Manchester Gin is, as they say in the leaflet, ‘not a sweet and gentle gin’ the resinous spicey flavour is most unexpected, and is perhaps an acquired taste. Lastly we were offered the Little Scarlet Strawberry gin liqueur, made by Wilkin and sons the English jam makers. This sweet concoction really was delicious chilled over a few ice cubes, and thankfully not a bit jammy. Strawberry gin would be a prefect aperitif or part of a summer cocktail. Which is where marmalade came in. Marmalade, cointreau, lemon juice and gin make a great cocktail named ’The Martini Breakfast.’
Gin Explorer offer an monthly subscription service for £24.99 a month or £69.99 for three months. The box contains 200ml of gin in total, plus a 200ml bottle of tonic to get you started, and various other things of interest such as the Infugintonic, a little bag to flavour a gin that you have become too used to.
I thoroughly enjoyed my gin tour and the set provided a great contrast of flavours and styles. I would say that this would be the perfect gift for the gin lover in your life, or for some one who wants to try some thing different to drink. Cheers – hic!
Julia’s – Silverback Gin, Porter’s Gin, Beckett’s London Dry Gin, Strathearn Oaked Highland Gin
Well what can I say? When offered the chance to sample and review the new Gin Explorer box I just couldn’t turn it down!
I have always enjoyed a glass of G&T although I have always been very loyal to one brand of G&T in particular. Accepting that variety is meant to be the spice of life I thought it was worth broadening my (gin) horizons. Let’s just say that I wasn’t disappointed… and I may well be a convert!
Gin Explorer gives you the chance to “explore the world’s best gins from the comfort of your own home”. As part of the subscription service they offer, with one box arriving every month I was the very willing recipient of March’s offering. The box arrived… – not just any old packaging mind you – Gin Explorer totally went with the theme and the box arrived in the form of a cardboard suitcase complete with luggage tags and destination “stickers”. Inside the contents were beautifully presented and it was clear I was going to be in for a real treat. The four 50ml Gin bottles were simply and clearly labelled and alongside were two glass bottles of Franklin & Sons Tonic Water, one standard and one slimline. Also included was a “Travel Information” booklet giving a background to Gin as a drink, as well as the heritage and origins of the four different gins within. It also included a map of the World with the origins of some of the ingredients, recipes, serving tips, a discount code and more.
I sat down with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law (both gin lovers like me!) and began our taste journey.. We weren’t expecting obvious differences in the taste but to our surprise we were proven wrong.
First up was the Silverback Gin. Beautifully fresh-tasting and exceptionally smooth to drink despite the high alcohol content of 46%! The Coriander notes are strong once you know to look for them and we decided this gin would be a lovely aperitif to an Indian meal.
Next up was the Porter’s Gin which went down very well indeed with my mother-in-law. It had a fantastic blend of citrusy fruits with a slight earthiness to it thats was very appealing.
Thirdly we tried the Beckett’s London Dry Gin had a floral aroma and was extremely refreshing and actually my favourite. On reading the fact-sheet about each of the gins we were able to pick out the more subtle flavours that we couldn’t quite place, so we could then appreciate the peppermint and lemon aromas.
Lastly we tried the Strathearn Oaked Highland Gin which was extremely smooth and a hit all round. This gin was a creamy colour whereas the others had all been clear and it had a vanilla and almost dessert-like appeal. It tasted creamy and with its blend of gin and whisky had an amazing warming quality to it.
All four gins we tried were very different to each other and loved the hints and tips included with the information as to recommended garnishes and a cocktail recipe to try. I also love the fact that this is a subscription service that arrives at regular monthly intervals throughout the year and believe it would make a fantastic gift. Not only does the gin taste fantastic, but also arrives beautifully presented without having to take a step outdoors(!), as well as giving you a feeling of having an educational gin-tasting “experience” in the comfort of your own home. What more can you ask for?
Suzy’s – Silverback Gin, Porter’s Gin, Beckett’s London Dry Gin, Strathearn Oaked Highland Gin
As an RAF Officer’s wife, I’m apparently meant to be predisposed to enjoy and regularly drink gin. For some peculiar reason, gin and I have always evaded each other. Until recently, I made the decision to kindle a taste and enjoyment for the spirit. I made the effort to try a few classic G&T’s and realised I have quite a penchant for the clear magic that is gin. Who knew! So when I saw the newly invented Gin Explorer boxes, giving them a try seemed a no brainer.
I can’t find the words to tell you about sheer delight that was the post man delivering a box of gin to my door, on a day that I was stuck at home potty training a toddler and trying to comfort a teething baby. Even though I had no plans to tuck in right away (as tempting as it was!) just opening the box and browsing through the treasures inside was a moment of glee in my tiresome day. There’s something quite extravagant and devilish (in a good way!) about getting a box full of tasty gin treat delivered to your door.
The box is tastefully (pun intended) packaged, and the idea of taking you on a journey is very well thought out. The samples in the box were well chosen, and having all the information from each distillery opened my eyes to the complexity and passion that the world of gin has to offer. As a gin drinking newbie, I had no idea that the variations in flavour could be so vast. It’s well and truly given me a new appreciation for my new found taste (and love!) and has set on a solid path for my gin future. Cue my sip of G&T as I complete my review!
And finally, the MumsClub office also got hold of a parcel too:
We had the Silverback, Porter’s, Beckett’s London Dry, and the Strathearn Oaked Highland Gins to sample. So after spending all day, eyeing up the box and talking about which we were going to try first, we stayed late one sunny Friday eve to dive in.
Setting the scene, we had nibbles from popcorn to dried fruit – yep healthy to the end! They say that the clearest alcohol holds the less calories – fantastic!
We love the concept of Gin Explorer; it is new and innovative way to not only sample, but to learn about gins from all over the world. We had no idea it was such a big deal, you might think that all gins are the same but this clearly shows that isn’t the case and we loved being able to class ourselves a bonafide gin experts at the end of it.
To join, you will receive a selection of different 50ml gin miniatures, every month direct through your door, until you choose to cancel. It’s a surprise each time, but you know that the gins are hand selected by your ‘tour guide’ so you’re not having to make ill informed decisions! You also learn about the origins of each sample sharing the knowledge – how fabulous. I may have once or twice offered advice in Sainsbury’s on wine choice, just this week in fact I shared knowledge of rapidly cooling down a room temperature bottle of white – just pop it in the freezer wrapped in wet kitchen roll. Just 15 mins and it’s cool enough to enjoy. You’re welcome.
So being, and we’re not afraid to say this; Gin novices, we were presented with a selection of gins.
First up it was the Silverback – no, not the gorilla but we wondered if it had any association. It’s origins are from Madagascar, so imagine being sat in a treetop hideaway overlooking a vast forest listening to lemurs playing nearby. Coriander and pine comes through the taste process but there’s also a definite citrus zest. Interestingly they donate to a gorilla organisation for every bottle sold!
Next up it’s the Porter’s Gin. Originating in the bright and bustling, and hot climate of India, but now made in Aberdeen, using an unusual distillation process combining both modern and traditional techniques. Again it was citrus taste but with a personality of its own.
Beckett’s Dry London Gin was up next and maybe it was the name but it very much felt British! It’s made with English Juniper, grown on National Trust land, again it is citrus but with a clear feel for lime and orange, and a hint of mint. Lovely.
Finally it was the Strathearn Oaked Highland, this was probably the one we were not so sure about. As wannabe wine connoisseurs, we’re often put off by a strong Oaky aroma and taste, we discussed this before tasting and we were therefore looking for it but could definitely taste the oak which for us made it a little whisky like which wasn’t entirely to our liking and not something our taste buds would choose over say the Beckett’s Dry, which we went back for again!
Where to get Gin Explorer
Now you’ve seen the best of it, to get your own Gin Explorer suitcase of goodies, subscriptions can be found at www.ginexplorer.com – use code NOWBOARDING for £5 off your first order!
You can also check out the quality of the gins at a festival near you – www.ginfestival.com
Please drink responsibly! drinkaware.co.uk
Thanks to our reviewer panel
Rachel from www.rachelstoyshop.co.uk for taking on such a tough job – someone had to do it. You can also check out her review of the Gin Festival for MumsClub.
Suzy owner of www.mamaandbelle.co.uk
Julia; mum of two and owner of LittleWhiteDragon selling personalised soy candles and Jwls selling silver jewellery. She also loves travelling and eating out.www.littlewhitedragon.com – www.jwls.co.uk
Lucy McDowell owner of www.double-flip.com
The MumsClub HQ
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