Blood Monkey Irish Craft Gin 70cl

Product Information

The brand name and signature drill bit design are a nod to the act of ‘bleeding the monkey’, when sailors drilled into the officers’ barrel of grog to steal the liquor inside. The brand has sought to shine a light on the genever style of gin to demonstrate that there ‘is a world beyond dry-style gin’. The two products showcase the heritage of the style, which is ‘akin to a white whiskey’, with a juniper-forward base. Monster usually launches products in the US before Europe; however, the new variant – dedicated to the British-born driver – was created in the UK for European markets. The second part of the tasting will take place later this year, when the Master medallists from both parts of the competition will be retasted to determine The Gin Taste Master 2022. Stay tuned…

One part Weavers Dry Gin to three parts premium tonic. Garnish with a slice of orange and fresh rosemary over ice. LOUGH REE DISTILLERY Produced in Somerset, the homeland of British cider making, Showerings is an ‘elegantly dry, gently carbonated and deeply cultured cider that has been created using techniques requiring as much experience and attention-to-detail as those used in the creation of fine wines’ Generally, the judges were impressed with the standard presented in the super-premium round. Kennard said: “These were solid examples of gin, with some interesting experimentation going on. You want some experimentation in the category, holding true to its definition; you still get juniper in them. The Craft & Co was awarded a Gold medal in the closing flight for its Gingerbread Gin Liqueur. Milliken found “lots of playful spice” on the nose with “some delicate ginger heat” palate. Conncullin is a big and bold gin, bursting with flavour: wild fruits, juniper and citrus peel with subtle spice.

Jason Kidd of Outcast Brands is one of the more interesting gin producers, specialising in “giving people new ways to enjoy gin beyond tonic”. His latest creation is Blood Monkey Spice Storm gin, flavoured with orange and cardamom. David T Smith, spirits consultant, writer and co-founder of the Craft Distilling Expo, chaired another group. He was joined by: Peter Downes, senior spirits partnership executive, Craft Gin Club, and Vanessa Piromallo, gin expert, judge, and founder of That’s The Spirit. Irish gin brand Blood Monkey has secured distribution of its flagship expression in Canada via the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) and Cork Wine & Whiskeys. The Irish gin features a signature drill bit design Athavia thought: “Original and unique local ingredients shone through, and I’d like to see more producers experiment in this way.” Citrus twist: Authentic flavours went down a storm with the judges A variety of spirits is produced here, including Jawbox Gin, Echlinville Pot Stil Gin, Bán Poitín, Dunville’s Irish Whiskey and several liquors. These are genuine field-to-glass spirits made from barley grown in the fields surrounding the distillery. Echlinville has also revived the age-old tradition of distillery floor malting.

Showerings Triple Vintage is naturally golden in colour with distinctive bittersweet flavours complemented by notes of hazelnut, cedarwood, red apple and apricot. It combines the character and complexities of the best wines with cider’s unique ability to refresh and re-invigorate, adds the company. The name Conncullin comes from the two great Mayo lakes, Lough Conn and Lough Cullin, from where the distillery water source originates. The small-batch gin is produced in Connacht Distillery in Ballina, Co Mayo, on the banks of the river Moy. Connacht also produce a number of whiskies, a vodka and a poitín. The distillery was founded by Irish & Irish-American spirits entrepreneurs including the former CEO of Remy Cointreau USA, Tom Jensen, and award-winning master distiller Robert Cassell. Garnish Island gin is a very special gin made using 16 botanicals. It is inspired by the unique Italian gardens on Garnish Island in west Cork. It was crafted by Deirdre Bohane, one of Ireland’s few female distillers, and includes locally foraged botanicals such as hibiscus, iris, rose, rosemary and thyme that are cold-infused overnight. See themuffliquorcompany.com for a choice of gift boxes, including A Taste of Home, which includes Tayto crisps, Barry's Tea and Muff Potato Gin. The penultimate flight of the day was Sloe Gin, and a solid set of three Gold-worthy entries made for a happy group of judges. Gin Lane 1751 Sloe won a Gold medal for being “sweet, jammy”, and Downpour – Sloe & Bramble bagged Gold for being “fruity, full of flavour and very sippable”. Erste Maennerhobby’s Sloe Gin gained a Gold medal for its “classic sloe profile, and hint of sharpness on the finish”.

This competition is conducted in partnership with The Spirits Business and consists of a series of blind-tasting evaluations that cover one of the fastest-growing spirit categories in the world over the last 10 years. There was also no shortage of Silver medallists in the London Dry category, with 29 Silver awards given, including to Brighton Pavilion Strength, Boomsma Dry Gin, Gibson’s London Dry Gin, and Malfy Originale.