Gin Mare Mediterranean Gin, 70cl

Product Information

The taste was similar; very subtle and very difficult to pin point what botanicals were present in the mix. I do know that it was very fresh and herby, like the smell, and it almost had a green tea like taste with hints of bitter, earthy notes.

G andTsare hot in Barcelona and fit perfectly the Spanish life style. I saw a great opportunity to respond to this trend and make an outspoken Mediterranean gin for Barcelona. Our Rambla 41 gin is based on the principle of 'terroir', unique in gin-making, which means we only use ingredients from our region: the Priorato. I believe balance is the most important quality in a wine and spirit, and I applied this concept to Rambla 41. Distilling is all about essences and giving a spirit the taste and aromas of a particular terroir looked very appealing to me. Gin is the purest form of alcohol and it has been one of the most beautiful challenges for me to achieve a new style of gin-making. What Angels are getting is a biased perception of the Spanish wine picture with a lost opportunity cost. According to ICEX, the smaller 87 percent segment of all Spanish wineries account for less than 7 percent of total exports value. Small producers tend to concentrate effort and resources on agriculture and winemaking and marketing budgets are meagre. Off-mainstream Spanish wines struggle to gain visibility and a wider audience at international markets like the UK, dominated by large importers and retailers. Spaniards need not be too bothered with The Sunday Times Chris Haslams’ article on how to be Spanish. Not even by Jamie Oliver’s periodically recurring tweets on a more than creative version of paella with heaps of chorizo. The poor image of Spanish wine is not only more misleading for UK wine lovers but has also an enormous economic impact for the part of the Spanish wine industry that offers value added, quality wine with terroir-specific character. Heart touching, charity-style Naked Wines’ financial engineering I love to produce high quality and individual wines and spirits in a sustainable way. This business is about bringing pleasure and joy to the consumer. Enjoying quality, drinking the right spirit or wine at the right moment is an experience that I want to share with everybody. A Spanish winemaker can work full time for one winery or consult with several, usually smaller producers. If the winemaker works on a consultancy basis, there is an additional figure such as the winery manager who looks after everyday tasks and helps implementing the winemaker’s guidelines. In this case, the identity of a wine is normally linked to the winery itself or the land where the grapes originate. Only very exceptional, renowned winemakers’ names occupy a space above a winery and a vineyard which in any case are there too as a wine’s credentials.I do like the bottle though! It’s very Spanish looking, with the blue and red splodges on the label that look like sections of some sort of masterpiece. The bottle itself is smooth and sleek and depicts tranquil lake memories.

Whisky-loving Angels have been begging us to do a Single Malt for ages, so we paid a visit to our whisky wizz Rupert to see if he had anything special hiding up his sleeve. And lo and behold… he pulled out this beautifully-aged, smooth Speyside Scotch, poured us a wee dram, and put a great, big smile on our face. Perhaps I was expecting too much, or perhaps my senses just aren’t sophisticated enough to appreciate this gin, but on first and second, and third smells, all I was able to detect were the fresh herby scents – scents that did not evolve as your nose adapted to the smells. Having said that, the herby smell from the rosemary and thyme is a beautiful one! Just a shame it was so subtle. Naked Wines Castillo Catadau Gran Reserva 2008 by La Font de La Figuera, Valencia based co-operative La ViñaJust like Rupert’s first single malt, this one is also from Speysidebut just a wee bit richer, meatier and sweeter in flavour. The nose is alive with tantalising fruit aromas of orange and lemon complemented by lovely toffee and vanilla notes. And the palate follows on really well with sweet flavours of citrus, apple, pear and butterscotch. The texture is soft, smooth and creamy, with a nice long finish. Carlos Rodriguez Valpopi Ribera del Duero 2016 – NOT AVAILABLE (apparently this brand name is registered by Bodegas Viyuela S.L. in Burgos).