Discussion
I would be interested to know if anyone else is struggling to keep up with this Gin phenomenon?
Let me explain...it used to be we had the familar Gordon’s, Gilbey’s etc and then we had the premiums Bombay, Tanqueray, Hendricks etc...one knew where one was as it were.
Now we are inundated with literally 100s of brands and I can’t keep up..a bottle of 6 ‘o’ Clock appeared in the house the other day...Mrs C proclaiming its the best ever ...as its exquisitely engineered...what?
In Majestic they persuaded me to buy some NZ gin...Scapegrace....(sold by the Chrome label) then to balance things up I bought some Bathtub distilled here in Kent...
I was at a friends house the other day...and they have built a bloody gin bar in the kitchen!
I love drinking, always out and about..but I don’t think there are enough drinking hours in my life to get a handle on all of this....not to mention the tonics and ginger ales..
Anyone else experiencing this bizarre anxiety....
Let me explain...it used to be we had the familar Gordon’s, Gilbey’s etc and then we had the premiums Bombay, Tanqueray, Hendricks etc...one knew where one was as it were.
Now we are inundated with literally 100s of brands and I can’t keep up..a bottle of 6 ‘o’ Clock appeared in the house the other day...Mrs C proclaiming its the best ever ...as its exquisitely engineered...what?
In Majestic they persuaded me to buy some NZ gin...Scapegrace....(sold by the Chrome label) then to balance things up I bought some Bathtub distilled here in Kent...
I was at a friends house the other day...and they have built a bloody gin bar in the kitchen!
I love drinking, always out and about..but I don’t think there are enough drinking hours in my life to get a handle on all of this....not to mention the tonics and ginger ales..
Anyone else experiencing this bizarre anxiety....
Is certainly a huge fad, bit it is sticking around longer then most.
There's even a gin bar where I live that people travel to. In all fairness it is very good, though everything is on a tab and it's table service, so gets expensive quite quickly!
Try pink grapefruit tonic... Lovely lovely stuff.
There's even a gin bar where I live that people travel to. In all fairness it is very good, though everything is on a tab and it's table service, so gets expensive quite quickly!
Try pink grapefruit tonic... Lovely lovely stuff.
Miocene said:
Is certainly a huge fad, bit it is sticking around longer then most.
There's even a gin bar where I live that people travel to. In all fairness it is very good, though everything is on a tab and it's table service, so gets expensive quite quickly!
Try pink grapefruit tonic... Lovely lovely stuff.
Yep, the gin fad has been around for a while and we a probably due a new one. There's even a gin bar where I live that people travel to. In all fairness it is very good, though everything is on a tab and it's table service, so gets expensive quite quickly!
Try pink grapefruit tonic... Lovely lovely stuff.
Gin has had a good run as both girls and boys seem to be in on it.
As much as I would like to make a guess. I can guarantee anything I suggest will immediately be uncool..
I own a few off-licences and Gin sales have outsold Vodka (I would not have believed it was possible a few years ago) for quite a few months over this summer. They are starting to decline slightly, more than you would expect just for the start of winter, so we may be seeing a decline in it ready for a new thing to start coming through next summer, or the market is just so full of all kinds of weird and wonderful Gin that it is too saturated at the moment.
People have invested lots of money into Gin and I doubt it will disappear now overnight as they won't want to admit it was just a fad. For me, i'm starting to keep a close eye on how much I am keeping at a time as although I don't think it will, it could decline back to more normal levels by summer and I don't want to be stuck with it. I expect lots of retailers are the same...Apart from Bargain Booze that only just seem to have joined the Gin party after a bit of a turbulent year.
Some of my suppliers are saying Rum could be the next one with new Rums currently gearing up to come out next year, but I can't personally see it toppling Gin any time soon. That being said, whilst some smaller distilleries are still concentrating on knocking out new flavours of Gin, most of the bigger ones have slowed down new flavours and are just concentrating on current products. (apart from a few Christmas themed ones that are obviously in the pipeline)
People have invested lots of money into Gin and I doubt it will disappear now overnight as they won't want to admit it was just a fad. For me, i'm starting to keep a close eye on how much I am keeping at a time as although I don't think it will, it could decline back to more normal levels by summer and I don't want to be stuck with it. I expect lots of retailers are the same...Apart from Bargain Booze that only just seem to have joined the Gin party after a bit of a turbulent year.
Some of my suppliers are saying Rum could be the next one with new Rums currently gearing up to come out next year, but I can't personally see it toppling Gin any time soon. That being said, whilst some smaller distilleries are still concentrating on knocking out new flavours of Gin, most of the bigger ones have slowed down new flavours and are just concentrating on current products. (apart from a few Christmas themed ones that are obviously in the pipeline)
Whilst I like a nice G&T, deciding between which one of the hundreds your local bar might have is basically impossible.
Honestly, I just choose the one that has the snazziest bottle, they all largely taste the same. Sure, I've had peppery ones, and overly plant-tasting "botanical" ones, but a lot of the gin push these days is down to how well a particular brand is marketed.
Honestly, I just choose the one that has the snazziest bottle, they all largely taste the same. Sure, I've had peppery ones, and overly plant-tasting "botanical" ones, but a lot of the gin push these days is down to how well a particular brand is marketed.
Regarding rum, i can’t see it becoming as popular. The trick with the gin explosion is that its so quick and easy to make compared to other spirits allowing a product to come to market relatively cheaply as there is no maturation phase. Like the prev. Poster said its all about the marketing, hence why so many have stupid names and convoluted label/bottle designs.
I don't understand what there is to get on top of. Zillions of boutiquey popup gin makers all doing their slightly different thing instead of Gordon's or red label smirnoff mediocrity can only be a good thing surely?
The mrs, since doing the low-carb, has been quite partial to a gin and has several bottles on the go. It's a pleasant drink.
The mrs, since doing the low-carb, has been quite partial to a gin and has several bottles on the go. It's a pleasant drink.
The issue with the Gin craze is that it isn't actually that difficult to make gin so the proliferation of brands and marketing are masking some fairly average spirits punted out at high prices as people tend to associate perceived quality with cost.
Many gin manufacturers buy in the neutral base spirit which has been distilled elsewhere and simply whack in the botanicals, distill and off you go.
I prefer those who have a more direct linkage with the ingredients that go into their base spirit although this could be a little gin snobbery creeping in.
Regardless my current favourites are TOAD, the King of Soho and Dockyard Gin.
Many gin manufacturers buy in the neutral base spirit which has been distilled elsewhere and simply whack in the botanicals, distill and off you go.
I prefer those who have a more direct linkage with the ingredients that go into their base spirit although this could be a little gin snobbery creeping in.
Regardless my current favourites are TOAD, the King of Soho and Dockyard Gin.
CS Garth said:
The issue with the Gin craze is that it isn't actually that difficult to make gin so the proliferation of brands and marketing are masking some fairly average spirits punted out at high prices as people tend to associate perceived quality with cost.
Many gin manufacturers buy in the neutral base spirit which has been distilled elsewhere and simply whack in the botanicals, distill and off you go.
We did the Beefeater Distillery Tour in London a couple of years ago. Many gin manufacturers buy in the neutral base spirit which has been distilled elsewhere and simply whack in the botanicals, distill and off you go.
The guide banged on about all the different botanicals etc. and never actually covered how they made the alcohol. At the end, he asked if we had any questions and about four of us said "how do you make the alcohol?"
"Oh we don't make it, we just buy it in".
So there you have it: gin = flavoured vodka.
Condi said:
Johnnytheboy said:
So there you have it: gin = flavoured vodka.
Yes, thats basically all it is. Vodka is the base spirit for lots of things. Maybe my taste buds arnt the best, but when you put them with lemonade they all taste the same.
It turns out whisky is just vodka that's been kept in a barrel until it's turned brown.
Condi said:
Johnnytheboy said:
So there you have it: gin = flavoured vodka.
Yes, thats basically all it is. Vodka is the base spirit for lots of things. Maybe my taste buds arnt the best, but when you put them with lemonade they all taste the same.
Johnnytheboy said:
I've also done a whisky tour in Scotland.
It turns out whisky is just vodka that's been kept in a barrel until it's turned brown.
It turns out whisky is just vodka that's been kept in a barrel until it's turned brown.
I don't know whether this is true but I heard (Buggered if I can remember where...) that a lot of whisky distilleries have sprouted up and are using their stills to produce gin while the whisky
Bill said:
I don't know whether this is true but I heard (Buggered if I can remember where...) that a lot of whisky distilleries have sprouted up and are using their stills to produce gin while the whisky
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