Review

The Botanical's Gin

Central Hisúmer, Alicante, Valencia, Spain (although their website states this is made in London it is made by Langley Distillery (Alcohols Limited), Langley Green, Warley (Nr Birmingham), West Midlands, England, UK.).

Hisúmer and The Botanicals Gin. 

Central Hisúmer, an importer/exporter, was founded in 1887 and is still run by the 4th generation members of the family today. The company mission is still the same: to provide consumers with a wide range of premium spirits sourced from anywhere in the world.

The base spirit is distilled four times from a wheat grain. The 5th distillation is carried out in small batches, for each individual botanical, using two John Dore copper pot stills – no doubt stills No.2 “Angela” and No.6 “Connie” – the whole process taking about 2 weeks from start to finish. The final distillate is diluted with water to bottling strength. We understand the water used is from an ancient aquifer based on the outskirts of London, where rainwater filters through basaltic rock – this possibly refers to Clerkenwell Springs.

The Gin is presented in a black/dark blue tall rectangular bottle and screen-printed with mainly white text and artistic scrolling, with red highlights.

London Dry Gin.

42.5% (85 Proof).

$$$ - $$$$. Not available in the USA being exclusively made for the Spanish market in Europe. Try buying online at SmartBites, based in Spain, who deliver worldwide - although delivery charges are not clearly stated. 

Contains 14 botanicals including: angelica root, cassia bark, cinnamon bark, coriander seeds, grapefruit peel, juniper berries, lemon blossom, lemon peel, liquorice root, nutmeg (ground), orange blossom, orange peel and orris root powder. There is also one other botanical, which is undisclosed and kept secret.

Unknown but one assumes this refers the higher than average number of botanicals used in its production.

On the nose is sweet citrus (orange) with juniper and slight floral aroma. On the palate this soft, sweet and full-bodied spirit has juniper and orange citrus flavors with herbal and floral notes. On the close a little more sweetness appears (liquorice) in a creamy smooth finish.

Although this is a London Dry Gin, this is certainly a lot sweeter than the traditional style normally dictates. This is a very orange citrus Gin and is easy to drink neat and in a Gin and Tonic the orange and juniper dominate the taste. In a Martini the sweet orange with light floral notes are the key focus, and makes for a pleasing different experience (best as a summer time Martini), although ardent Gin fans if expecting a traditional dry taste may be disappointed. If you prefer a Sweet Martini then this makes for a good choice with this Gin.

Overall this is a quality made Gin, but not necessarily for traditionalists. It is excellent where smooth, sweeter and more citrus orange notes are wished for in a Gin based mixed drink.

Gold Medal, International Wine and Spirits Competition, 2012.