Review

Hayman's
1820 Gin Liqueur

Christopher Hayman of Hayman Distillers Ltd. (and Thames Distillery), London, England, UK - although the production and storage is in Witham, Essex.

Hayman Distillers.

Haymans have been distilling Gin in London for 150 years and started with James Burroughs (of Beefeater Gin fame) as James Burroughs Ltd. The company was sold in 1987 to Whitbread, although part of the business was retained and renamed Hayman’s. Today Christopher Hayman is supported by his son (James) and daughter (Miranda), the great-great-grandchildren of James Burroughs. This is the longest serving family owned gin distiller in England today.

This liqueur was devised in the 1980’s and eventually launched in 2004. Hayman’s claim their Gin Liqueur is a world first and it is certainly unusual if not unique. Bortolo Nardini produce a grappa based liqueur infused with juniper and other alpine botanicals called “Ginepro del grappa”. However, it seems clear to us, the Hayman’s product is Gin based to begin with and thus probably is a world first.

This is unknown but one assumes they use their base gin - made from 100% grain spirit, where the botanicals are left to steep for 24 hours before being gently redistilled for a final time in a copper pot still. We understand the spirit is distilled a total of 5 times before being blended with sugar to meet the requirements of a liqueur.

Flavored Gin – Gin Liqueur (a liqueur is defined as having at least 100 grams of sugar per liter of alcohol).

40% (80 Proof).

$$$$. Not available in the USA, try Master of Malt in the UK but be prepared to add about another 75% to the cost for shipping.

10 botanicals are used, including: angelica root, cinnamon, coriander, juniper berries, lemon peel, liquorice, nutmeg, orange peel and orris root.

Named after founder, Christopher Hayman and the date the original company was founded (before it was bought by James Burroughs).

On the nose is a sweet citrus and juniper aroma with spicy herbal notes. On the palate the liqueur level sweetness comes through with strong citrus (orange), juniper and spice notes, ending with a classic Gin finish. It tastes just as you would expect a Gin and a Liqueur to taste!

This is a great drink to sip, either neat or over ice, and is a wonderful winter warmer. It should appeal to people who like Gin and/or liqueurs. According to James Hayman the idea behind this liqueur was to produce a Gin that could be served in a similar manner to Drambuie, Grand Marnier etc. – and this is exactly what has been achieved. It is not restricted to just this usage though and can be implemented in mixed drinks too. We suggest using this in place of Old Tom Gin to make a Martinez, Tom Collins or a Ramos Gin Fizz.

We often say this about Hayman products but we raise our hats to Christopher and James Hayman for another class act production. They continue to break the known boundaries of Gin making, with flair.

88 Points, Beverage Testing Institute.