A first sip of 6 O’Clock Gin’s Bristol special ‘Brunel Edition’
Posted on: 26 Jul 2017The Bristol-based distillers have released a commemorative edition of their famous gin in celebration of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, one of the city’s favourite sons. We recently got our hands on a bottle: here are our thoughts.
Bristol has become increasingly renowned for its gins in recent years, with growing numbers of both big names and microdistilleries holding their own in what is becoming a more and more exciting market.
As gin-production becomes ever more wedded to the future of Bristol, one gin company is celebrating the city’s past through this medium. The newly-released ‘Brunel Edition’ from 6 O’Clock Gin represents an acknowledgement of Bristol’s favourite son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, and creator of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Temple Meads station and the ss Great Britain.
Just as the first taste is said to be taken with the eye, the initial nods to the inventor’s influence appear on the outside of the bottle, whose sleek black design is detailed with the copper of Brunel’s primary medium. The name of the blend is discreetly proclaimed in unobtrusive lettering of the same colour, bifurcated by a diminutive rendering of his famous top hat, and underscored by a calligrapher’s reminder that it has been ‘Exquisitely Engineered’.
.jpg "Brunel Edition")
This is something attested to by a first whiff and sip of its contents: the power of the blend is immediately apparent, the result of a measured alchemy which combines green cardamom, nutmeg, cumin, cassia bark, cubeb and lemon. As such, the initial notes pack an almost industrial punch, taking the drinker through the gears before giving way to a suitably spicy finish.
Served tall with tonic over ice, this spice is balanced geometrically, while a twist of orange unlocks the citrus notes. A drink fit for a Kingdom.
What’s more, £1 from the sale of every bottle will go to the ss Great Britain Fund, aiding the production of their ‘Being Brunel’ exhibit, which is due to open in February of next year.
Michael Kain, director of 6 O’Clock’s parent company Bramley & Gage said: “Brunel has huge appeal. His engineering achievements are visible in our bridges, tunnels and railways around the UK, and he is remembered with people, places, businesses – and even a university – named after him. It was an easy choice for us, as some of his most famous work is here in Bristol.”
70 cl bottles of ‘Brunel Edition’ 6 O’Clock Gin are priced at £43 and are available to buy here. For more from 6 O’Clock Gin, click here.
Article by:
An ardent Geordie minus the accent, Sam seemingly strove to get as far away from the Toon as possible, as soon as university beckoned. Three undergraduate years at UoB were more than ample time for Bristol (as it inevitably does) to get under his skin, and so here he remains: reporting, as Assistant Editor, on the cultural happenings which so infatuated him with the city. Catch him at sam@365bristol.com.
