Forty Spotted Pinot Noir Gin

Full-bodied Pinot Noir grapes meet peppery juniper and a blend of fragrant spices in Forty Spotted Pinot Noir. Its ingredients are grown in Tasmania and turned into gin at Lark Distillery. It is bottled at 40% ABV in a 700 ml bottle. The exact spices are kept secret.

Citrus · Spicy · Fruity

In the glass the gin is rich and brooding in colour, a deep red drawn from the grapes. The nose is delicate, with hints of fragrant citrus over plums and dark berries.

On the palate, the grape fruit leads, with peppery juniperJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary and warm spice behind it, giving the gin more structure than a simple fruit infusionInfusionFruit 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. Forty Spotted describes a distinctive flavour that surprises the palate, and the juniper keeps the finish dry enough for the berries to stay fresh. Pinot Noir is one of Tasmania's signature grape varieties, a clear link between the gin and the island's vineyards. The grapes give the gin a soft, rounded texture and a light tannic grip on the finish.

The distillery suggests adding a little ice and sipping it by the fire with friends, which shows its fuller, wintry side. Forty Spotted also features it in a Noir-groni, its take on the NegroniNegroniAn Italian cocktail of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and red bitter (Campari), served over ice with orange peel. Born in Florence in 1919.Glossary, where the dark fruit softens the bitterness of the aperitif. A splash of soda lightens it for warmer days. Its fruit also makes it a natural partner for dark chocolate or a cheese board.

For a gin and tonic, pour 4 cl of Forty Spotted Pinot Noir over clear iceClear iceIce without air bubbles, made by slow, directional freezing. Denser, it melts more slowly and dilutes less.Glossary in a balloon glassCopa glassA large stemmed balloon glass, popularised by the Spanish gin and tonic: it stays cold for longer and gathers the aromas above the drink.Glossary, add 10 cl of chilled Thomas Henry Pink Grapefruit and stir gently. Add a dark grape and an orange twistTwistA strip of peel twisted over the glass to release its oils, then dropped into the drink.Glossary. The pink grapefruit tonic gives lift to the grape-led profile, and the orange brings out the citrus on the nose.