Winchester Distillery Twisted Nose Watercress Dry Gin 40%

Description

Winchester Distillery Twisted Nose Watercress Dry Gin is small-batch Hampshire Gin made at the Winchester Distillery. The botanicals include Hampshire Watercress, which gives a pepper-y kick, Hampshire Lavender and the citrus botanical Pink Grapefruit.

About Winchester Distillery

Winchester Distillery is a small, artisanal spirits producer located in Winchester, Hampshire. The distillery was founded by ex-software developer Paul Bowler in 2014, who started out with a small 25 litre still in his garage. The company specialises in producing high-quality spirits using traditional methods, modern energy-saving equipment and botanicals sourced from the local Hampshire surroundings.

A Hampshire Gin Pioneer

When Twisted Nose Watercress Dry Gin was released in May 2013, it was at the forefront of the new gin revolution. At the time, Winchester Distillery was the first and only gin producer in Hampshire. Of course, it has since been joined by other notable Hampshire gins from Portsmouth Distillery, River Test Distillery, Isle of Wight Distillery and Bombay Sapphire. A range of other gins are produced, including Round Table, Navy Strength and an Old Tom.

However, Winchester Distillery Twisted Nose Watercress Dry Gin has an excellent unique selling point: it is the only Gin in the UK to use watercress as one of its botanicals (as far as I know, although I am ready to be proved wrong!). Watercress grows locally around Winchester and the Meon Valley, where the crystal clear chalk streams provide an ideal habitat.

Winchester Distillery Twisted Nose Watercress Dry Gin Botanicals

Watercress is one of 10 botanicals used to make Twisted Nose Gin, including:

• Watercress – sourced from The Watercress Company, 3 miles to the north of Winchester
• Juniper – Obviously, you can’t make gin without juniper berries
• Coriander – crushed coriander seeds bring a citrus-y, spicy note
• Pink Grapefruit Zest – adds richer citrus flavours than lemon or orange
• Cassia Bark – adds a cinnamon-type character
• Fennel Seed – for a sweet Anise flavour
• Lavender – locally sourced from Long Barn Growers and Distillers near Arlesford
• Orris – brings flowery and woody aromas
• Angelica – remember the green, crystallised stuff people used to put on top of cakes? That is from the Angelica root.

This is a small batch gin distilled in a traditional copper pot still, a descendent of the alembic still, which is used to make batches of spirits, unlike the continuous distillation of large, more commercial column stills. Pot stills produce a very fine grade of spirit. The botanicals are gently crushed, mixed and macerated in a pure, neutral spirit to release the oils that give the gin its characteristic flavours. The spirit and macerated botanicals are then re-distilled in the pot still, and only the heart of the distillate is used for the final bottling of this superb Hampshire Gin. The spirit is let down to 40% ABV with local New Forest Spring Water. Good enough to drink neat or over ice!

Why Is It Called Twisted Nose Gin?

Watercress is from the genus Nasturtium (not to be confused with the genus of flowering Nasturtiums, which is called Trapaeolum). In Latin, Nasturtium means “twisted nose” and is said to be named after the effect on one’s nose after eating the spicy, peppery leaves. Hence, “Twisted Nose Watercress Dry Gin.”