Brockmans Intensely Smooth Premium Gin

Blackberries and blueberries are what people notice first in Brockmans, and they are the reason the bottle reads as New WesternContemporary ginAlso called New Western: juniper is still there, but other botanicals (citrus, flowers, spice) take the lead.GlossarySee Contemporary gin gins rather than London DryLondon DryA style, not a place of origin: every flavour comes from distilling natural botanicals. After distillation only water and a trace of sugar may be added, with no flavouring or colouring.GlossarySee London Dry gins. Juniper is still in the recipe, Tuscan and unmistakable, but it shares the stage instead of leading, and the bottling is done in England at 40% ABV.

Citrus · Spicy · Floral · Fruity

Eleven botanicals make up the blend: juniper, blueberries, blackberries, cassia barkCassiaThe bark of a Chinese cinnamon tree, coarser and hotter than Ceylon cinnamon. It brings a warm, slightly sweet spice.Glossary, liquorice, lemon and orange peel, Bulgarian coriander, Saxon angelica, almonds and orris. They are steeped in neutral grain spiritNeutral spiritAgricultural spirit rectified to at least 96% ABV, almost tasteless. It is the base later flavoured with botanicals.Glossary before distillation in a copper pot stillPot stillA traditional still, often copper, that distils in batches. It keeps more texture and character than a column.Glossary a century old, and the aim the makers set themselves is in the name on the label: flavourful enough for cocktails, smooth enough to drink over ice. The berries are distilled with the rest rather than infusedInfusionFruit or plants are steeped in the spirit to release their flavour. Done after distillation, infusion often adds colour too, and the gin can no longer be called London Dry.Glossary afterwards, so the fruit is aromatic rather than sweet.

The nose is fruity and warm, dark berries first, then the citrus peel, with cassia and coriander behind them.

On the palate the texture is the point: soft, rounded, almost creamy, with blackberry and blueberry giving depth, liquorice and almond a gentle sweetness that owes nothing to sugar, and a piney juniper note surfacing quietly in the middle. The finish is long and smooth, spice and fruit fading together with a light citrus lift at the end.

A plain tonic and a grapefruit or orange slice work well: 4cl over cubed ice, then a 10cl pour of mixer, stirred once. Berries as garnish push the drink further towards fruit, which some people want and others do not, so taste before adding them. Over a single large ice cube and nothing else, the texture the brand built its name on is easiest to appreciate, and a Negroni made with it comes out noticeably rounder than usual.