Review

-Ish Limed Gin

The Poshmakers Ltd, London & Madrid, Spain (made by Thames Distillers Ltd., Clapham, London, England, UK).

-Ish.

Ellie Baker, originally from Bristol in the UK, runs a Gin bar called “The Bristol Bar” in Madrid, with her Spanish husband Fran Ameijeiras. Opening the bar provided an ideal vantage point, helping them to take advantage of the “continuing to grow” Spanish Gin market by devising their very own Gin (Ellie has a degree and background in oenology). The original Ish Gin was launched in late 2010 and the marketing used is rather risqué (fetish themed) - by comparison to the standard - with a buy line for the drink as “Britain’s Fet-ish”. This, their second Gin, was released in spring 2013.

Thames Distillers is run by Charles Maxwell who is the 8th generation of the family (founders of the Finsbury Distillery) who have been producing Gin since 1700 – making them the oldest unbroken lineage in Gin distillation.

Made from British neutral grain it is distilled 4 times in a traditional pot still. The botanicals are then steeped for 24 hours before being distilled for the 5th and final time. The resulting distillate is rested for a minimum of 2 weeks before being blended.

The Gin is presented in a squat, round, green colored bottle with screen-printed yellow lettering. This is (currently) a limited production run of 6,000 bottles.

London Dry Gin. This does not taste intensely lime and so has not been classified by us as a flavored Gin – a similar scenario to Tanqueray Rangpur Gin.

40% (80 Proof).

$$$$$$. Not available in the USA but try Master of Malt in the UK and prepare to pay an additional 55% for shipping.

It is unclear what and how many botanicals are used; some quote 9 and include ginger and bay leaf. However, we believe 12 botanicals are used: almond, angelica root, cassia, cinnamon, coriander seeds, juniper berries (Baltic), lemon peel, liquorice, nutmeg, orange peel and orris root (all the same as the original Ish Gin) plus powdered lime.

-Ish represents the suffix (as in English, British, stylish etc.) and is an abbreviation of Irresistible Scandalous Hallmark; the “Limed” refers to the lime flavor of the Gin.

On the nose is juniper and citrus (lemon and faint lime). On the palate this smooth oily spirit has dry juniper with citrus (lemon) and warm spice (coriander). On the close the dry juniper and warming peppery spice continues with the citrus changing from lemon to lime plus a little marzipan (almond) hint with a long finish. This is a very well made complex lime Gin with nice taste profiles, standing head and shoulders above most.

This has all the elements of a traditional London Dry Gin, with the double dose of juniper found in the original Ish Gin plus lemon and lime (with just a hint of orange) as the citrus flavors (rather than the strong orange and lemon found in the original). In a Gin and Tonic this has a beautiful crisp and refreshing feel due to the juniper and citrus plus cinnamon and nutmeg appears (depending on the tonic used). The lime is more forward in this drink and negates the need for any citrus garnish. A similar story is true for a Martini, it is wonderfully dry whilst presenting a citrus lime zing – we’re not sure adding a citrus garnish brings any benefit, preferring to use an olive or two anyway!

Whilst there is a temptation to compare this to Tanqueray Rangpur, this is only because it is another good lime flavored Gin. However, the flavor profiles of these two Gins are actually quite different and both stand proud but apart. We would have a difficult time choosing between them, Ish is more like a traditional juniper dry Gin and thus has a little more versatility, Tanqueray Rangpur has more of a warm spicy lime complexity and so is a little less versatile.

Silver Medal, Gin Masters, 2013.