An afternoon with Bristol Dry Gin
Posted on: 29 Mar 2018Craft Gin is huge right now. It appears that everywhere you go someone is serving up a brand-new concoction that you've never heard of before, as makers experiment with a bigger range of flavours and aromas than ever before. Word has spread to all corners of the country, not least the city of Bristol, where Bristol Dry Gin are leading the way. To see what all the fuss is about, we headed down to The Rummer Hotel in St. Nick's Market to sit in on one of Bristol Dry Gin's renowned tasting sessions.
Having started out just last year, Bristol Dry Gin quickly caught the attention of the city's gin aficionados with their interesting creations and unique method of distilling. Co-founder David tells me that him and business partner Brett didn't need much convincing to get started once they had their lightbulb moment. "Brett said 'should we buy a still?' and we went 'Yeah!'" he says. "The first gin we made was horrible - it was more about learning to use the still at that point".
The pair have been making gin ever since, and have ended up with a core range of one vodka, one aquavit and three gin varieties; their standard 40% dry gin, a 55% Docker's Strength, and the not-for-the-faint-of-heart Turbo Island, named after the infamous patch in Stoke's Croft and coming in at 75%. They use the relatively unique vapour infusion method in their in-house distillery, allowing the spirit vapours to pass through a basket of botanicals, coming together in the process. "The setup means we can experiment with zero waste. It's very efficient and time efficient too" David says.
Bristol Dry Gin's weekly tasting sessions, held on Fridays and Saturdays, were started late last year and have proved immensely popular. We sat in on the 3pm session last Saturday, with a total of around 15 people in attendance in the cosy space beneath The Rummer. Over the course of about an hour, we were treated to samples of around eight or nine - for some reason I can't remember the exact amount - varieties of gin, some produced by Bristol Dry Gin and some from further afield.
The session was interesting and engaging, and I found it to be pretty educational too, for example I had no idea that gin is actually made by heating and flavouring vodka, or that London Dry Gin is named after a particular method of production rather than the city it's made in. Of all the variations we tasted, my personal favourite was the Gin Jar elderflower-infused gin, produced nearby in Somerset, but my top recommendation is Bristol Dry Gin's Turbo Island. At 75% I'm not sure I could go a whole night on it, but it certainly livened up my Saturday afternoon - you'll understand once you've tried it.
There were a couple of creations that weren't really to my taste - I'm far from the world's biggest gin drinker - but I was impressed by the wide variety. An experimental strawberry and mint infused offering was something that I had never tried or even heard of before, and we were also invited to have a smell of one gin that smelled exactly like popcorn. Given the massive range of flavours and aromas that they experiment with on a regular basis, we asked whether Brett and David had ever put together a new flavour and tried it and enjoyed it, only to find that they had forgotten what they put in. "Yes" he replied. "We need to stop doing that".
I came away from a tasting with Bristol Dry Gin feeling sophisticated, knowledgeable, and a little bit pissed. As combinations go, that must be right up there with the best, and so I highly recommend that you try a tasting if you're looking for something new to do in Bristol. Sessions take place every Friday at 7pm, and twice every Saturday at 3pm and 7pm - my tip is to go for the 3pm session, that way you've still got the rest of the afternoon and the evening to enjoy a few more drinks if, for some reason, you don't really feel like going home afterwards.
Bristol Dry Gin tasting sessions at The Rummer Hotel take place on Friday and Saturday every week at a cost of £25 per person. The tastings are strictly for over 18's (obviously), and you can book your spot directly through their bookings page, or through discount site Wriggle. For more information, check out the Bristol Dry Gin website. You can find The Rummer on All Saints Lane, Bristol BS1 1JH.
Article by:
Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.
