In this episode, we taste some gin distilled in Hull, East Yorkshire.
Named after the famous English King William III or William of Orange as he was also known.
John M prefered the gin neat whilst John L preferred it with tonic.
We taste it neat, with a light tonic and a ginger ale which is recommended by the distiller.
The ginger ale sweetened the gin considerably, and the ginger really added to the peppery taste and for those with a sweeter tooth this would probably be ideal, however for John L with normal tonic was best and for John M neat west was best!
The point is that this gin is really flexible depending on the tonic you use and you will, with the right choice of tonic, find this gin will be ideal for you!
In this episode, we taste a gin that has only just been launched! It is distilled in a village that has been made famous as the village where the current Dr Who was brought up!
Produced by a young couple the gin is distilled with a lot of love and passion.
The taste is very unique and delicious, nice peppery taste with citrus overtones.
With the tonic added the sweet taste still came through. This gin makes a top class Gin and Tonic.
In this episode, we taste yet another Malbec from Argentina. This time we taste two supermarket’s Argentinean Malbecs – one from Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference and the other from Tesco’s Finest range.
The first one tasted was Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference – when we first “sniffed” this particular Malbec it didn’t give up much, but on the taste, it was much better. Blackberries and great balance with the tannins.
Whilst the colour wasn’t quite as vibrant and the “sniff” was very similar to Sainsbury’s it too surprised us with how good the balance of this wine was. Great Balance more red fruits than the Sainsbury’s Malbec but just as well balanced on the tannins as Sainsbury’s.
We interview Matt the proprietor and distiller at Rare Bird Distillery about how he started the distillery.
The first part of the interview takes place in Matt’s Gin School and the second part where we taste Matt’s London’s Dry Gin in the distillery area in front of the copper still.
What a fantastic gin – you really need to try this one!
Having just returned from tasting this wonderful gin with Matt the distiller ( https://youtu.be/eCdogUQFClA ) I return to the cellar to see what John thinks of it.
John is equally as impressed. Even though the gin is 42% ABV it has none of that burn and is incredibly smooth.
The gin has a power of flavour but the alcohol does not bite!
A great length to the gin with a floral after taste and a great overall complex taste.
When adding tonic John M felt he would enjoy it too much!
The London Gin moved into our top 5 gins.
The Rhubarb Gin while also at 42% ABV is incredibly smooth, once the tonic is added the full flavour of the Rhubarb is released.
In this episode, we taste a wine John L thought he had enjoyed at a restaurant a few weeks before recording this episode. John L wanted to see how much different the wine tasted outside the context of a convivial Sunday Lunch with Friends in the cold light of the day (or perhaps cold light of the cellar would be more appropriate)
Little did he know at the time of recording that the wine was bound to taste different as the wine he had tasted at the restaurant was a Malbec and the wine he and John were tasting in the cellar was a Shiraz?
Can you spot the confused look on his face as he begins to taste it?
On the nose, the small was one of a herbaceous smell rather than a fruity taste.
The taste too, had little fruit flavour, with the taste being once again more herbal.
A really nice taste, very easy to drink which at 14.5% alcohol content could be slightly dangerous!
John M could detect mint and whilst other flavours were present we were unable to identify them.
This Malbec is produced in Australia, only a very small amount of Malbec is produced in Australia, compared to Argentina where 62% of their wine production is Malbec.
First impressions are very good, in fact tasting better then some of the Argentine Malbecs we have reviewed recently. Tasting like a Malbec should do and for the price of £7.00 excellent value.
Well worth a try at the price (available from Morrisons at £7.00)!
In this episode, we taste another gin, this time from Marks and Spencers.
The gin is a seasonal gin as it’s name – Christmas Dry Gin – suggests.
Having a sniff of the gin neat, the gin smells of cinnamon to John M, although John L couldn’t get the cinnamon.
In the mouth, the alcohol seemed to mask any of the finer points of the gin’s taste.
With the tonic added the taste of the gin seemed a lot sweeter, fruitier, softer and the burn had disappeared, The tonic has allowed the citrus flavours to develop.
In this 2nd part of our Sangiovese, we taste two more Sangiovese wines but this time Chiantis, that red wine made so famous by Dr Hannibal Lecter played by Anthony Hopkins in the film Silence of the Lambs.
The first Chianti we try comes across very light when “sniffed” but had a great taste of cherry, but the taste had very little length. a great table wine to enjoy with food or as a quaffing wine.
The second Chianti had a little splash of Cabernet Sauvignon as well which John hoped will add a little bit more fruit. On the nose, the 2nd wine had obvious notes of leather and oak. The taste was, John felt, one dimensional. John L prefered this wine to the first although accepted the length was a little lacking.
