Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, 70cl

Product Information

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin is quite literally a “slow gin.” Despite how efficiently gin can be produced, Rigney intentionally slows the process, combining the two major gin distilling methods. Rigney combines vapor distillation of fresh Chinese lemons, kaffir limes, and Oriental grapefruits, along with the intriguing gunpowder tea, with the pot-still distillation of eight other botanicals ranging from Chinese star anise to local Drumshanbo meadowsweet. The gin is then rested for up to 30 days, allowing the oils to settle, after which it undergoes a very light cold filtration. It’s an extra step, but it’s essential for Rigney’s ideal flavor profile: Certain botanicals go bitter if you boil them. Add to that the fact that it’s all done in medieval-style copper stills (the increased copper surface area acts to “purify” the flavors) and you’ve got a serious labor of love. Every precious drop of Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin is slow-distilled by hand and proudly bottled, sealed, and labelled by the team in the distillery. 7. You’re Drinking a Love Story. Fans of citrus-forward gins like New Amsterdam are apt to find Gunpowder Gin a pleasant, if not one-note alternative. It has the herbal complexity of bathtub style gins like New Deal Gin No. 1, but also the balance of old school favorites like Gordon’s and Plymouth.

The Botanist is similarly complex but has a subtler nose. It features pine, roots and woody notes and has a bigger, warmer finish than Drumshanbo Gunpowder. Roku gin has a sweeter, floral aroma with a prominent tannin flavor from two kinds of tea. It has prominent citrus that edges more toward bitterness. Its finish is very peppery and warm. Grapefruit is so good with this gin, that it makes a Gin Paloma a must! We did a full recipe and video here: Gunpowder Paloma Recipe Gunpowder Gin and Juice A seasoned world traveler, Rigney might have settled his spirits venture anywhere on the map, but he chose Drumshanbo because the cozy Irish hamlet was the same town where his mom and dad first met — his dad, Seamus, was the auditor who took the train down from Dublin, and his mum Mary worked in the accounts department in the Arigna Mines in the 1950s. (Yes, if you fall in love in the less-than-Disney-perfect setting of a working coal mine, chances are it’s the real thing.) 8. You’re Also Supporting Small-Town Economic Recovery The result is a gin that tastes uncommonly good thanks to an uncommon marquee ingredient, combines drinking traditions from cultures 5,000-plus miles apart, pays homage to a love story when two paths crossed in the local iron mines (see No. 7), and, incidentally, helped one small Irish town called Drumshanbo find new economic opportunity.All you need is gin & juice, and ice. While citrus juices are an easy win, white cranberry and pink lemonade are delicious mixers with gunpowder gin. Drumshanbo Gunpowder Gin explodes with flavor on the palate. Citrus once again dominates. This time its grapefruit. Juniper and green tea are present mid-palate: the juniper herbaceous and bright, the green tea calling to mind Jasmine green tea, as you might get before sushi at a Japanese restaurant. Now let’s get into my full review, and as always, we’ll begin with how it tastes neat. What does Gunpowder Gin Taste Like, Neat? Taste Gunpowder Gin

Gunpowder Gin works extremely well in citrus drinks like the Tom Collins, the Gimlet, the Bronx and even the Hot Toddy. The nose of the gin is bold with pepper and spice, with lots of juniper giving the aroma a grassy, almost green, character that’s studded with notes of dusky earth. The palate finds the green tea element exploding immediately. Slightly sweet, reminscent of matcha, there are hints of vanilla ice cream and even some saffron amidst the otherwise herbal base. A bold juniper note reprises the nose, melding quite well with the unusual green tea flavors. It’s not a combination I would have expected to work, but it does, and quite pleasantly. Drumshanbo Irish Gunpowder Gin has a fresh, herby, citrus heavy aroma with notes of green tea and star anise. Grapefruit, is the initial flavor followed by juniper then tea, finishing with herby, warm spices of anise, cardamom and coriander. It’s a story of East meets West along with a few places in between. And in this review, I’ll tell you exactly why the end result is not only harmonious, but Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish has earned a seat at the table of Super Power Gins.The nose is light and citrus-forward. The more delicate handling of the citrus ingredients is quite evident here. Fresh lemon zest highlights a subtle herbaceous, sagey juniper with the slightest hint of green tea and meadowsweet.

The finish is is delightfully long and peppery with a nice warming throat feel. Who Might Like Drumshanbo Irish Gunpowder Gin?Gunpowder Gin is a modern or contemporary gin. It is not heavily juniper centered and it features the botanical meadowsweet, local to Drumshanbo, Ireland. Distilling Method The distiller recommends the best gin to vermouth ratio for Gunpowder is 4 to 1 and suggests grapefruit bitters in place of orange. I totally agree that Gunpowder and grapefruit are the winning combo.

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin is a product of The Shed Distillery, a boutique operation in rural Ireland. It’s also one of the most unusual gins you’re likely to encounter, made from a grain neutral base with some interesting botanicals in the mix. In the distillate you’ll find a relatively typical mix of juniper, angelica root, orris root, caraway seed, coriander seed, meadowsweet (an aromatically floral herb), cardamom, and star anise. Then, vapor-infused botanicals go into the mix, and here’s where it gets weird: Chinese lemon, Oriental grapefruit, Kaffir lime, and gunpowder tea. It’s the lattermost of these that gives the gin its name, and its real essence. The “gunpowder” in the Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin name refers to Chinese gunpowder green tea, one of the four botanicals that are vapor-distilled into the gin (after it’s been pot-distilled with eight others). It might sound easy to get lost in a dozen botanicals, but the specific green tea Rigney chose for the gin lends a distinctive note to the final flavor, unique in the gin world, where juniper is more often primarily complemented by things like citrus, cucumber, and spice. And no, the tea has no ballistic uses; it’s called “gunpowder” because of the shape of the tea leaves, which are rolled into individual pellets for better preservation. 3. It’s Wildly Global and Extremely Local. The Gunpowder Tea notes lend itself really nicely to mixing in citrus-forward drinks. Try Gunpowder Gin in a Tom Collins or Gimlet. If you’re literal, Gunpowder Gin is delightful in a hot toddy. Add some honey and lemon and it almost tastes as if you’re having a hot tea to sooth your throat. The Drumshanbo distillery highlights 3 smart variations on the Gin and Tonic, a gimlet variation and a martini. These are spot on and I will make the following additions: Gunpowder Gin and Tonic

From the East – Slowly dried Gunpowder tea from China, caraway seed, star anise, cardamom and lemon from India, kaffir lime from Cambodia and oriental grapefruit from Indonesia. From the West – Meadowsweet from Drumshanbo, Ireland, juniper berries from Macedonia, angelica root from Germany, coriander seed from Romania and orris root from Morocco.