Create your own Gin with Inspirited

When it comes to a drink with friends in a bar or even at home, you’ll often find me with a Gin & Tonic or something Gin based if I’m drinking alcohol. I’ve been through the Vodka years and we don’t really mix well, but Gin is the one drink I do really enjoy and in recent years, the selection has increased exponentially. When Inspirited, a craft gin distillery based in Strathaven, just outside of Glasgow got in contact to see if I wanted to make my own Gin, there was only one answer - Yes!

Inspirited, as I have mentioned is a craft Gin distillery and as well as having the opportunity to purchase one of their creations, as a customer, there is the most amazing gin tool that gives you the visitor a chance to create your own bespoke gin and there is so many combinations it is so much fun - and yes I did of course created the Beautyqueenuk Limited Edition Gin!

Through our gin tool visitors to our site can create their own fully bespoke gin, distilled with their botanicals of choice – we distil each gin individually – we don’t just add botanicals to a base spirit like other offerings might! – and finish it off complete with personalised label and gift box.

Now obviously I am no expert on making Gin, this is the first time and opportunity I have had to do so. There is a really handy step-by-step guide which takes you through the different stages of your gin making journey. It is definitely worth taking the time to read it before you begin the process, though at any time you can just start over. I also spent some time looking through the Tasty Tips page which is an incredibly useful tool when it comes to pairing ingredients and botanical's for your drink. There is a total of 35 botanicals to choose from and you are free to choose as many as you think you need, but the advice is to choose between 6 and 10, but not more than 12 otherwise it could dilute the taste of your product.  

Juniper is pre-selected for you because without it, well it wouldn't be gin and the same with Coriander (no not the leaf the seeds) which helps to tone down the punch that Juniper packs.  As you look through each ingredient and botanical, there is a handy little information button which gives you the low down on each one, so whether you want something fruity, floral, citrus, nutty or even exotic, there is a guide as to what it smells and tastes like, for example:

• Strawberry - Somewhere between sweet and sour this household favourite has rose to gain fame as a mild, sweet and quite delicious flavour
• Cucumber - The widely grown cucumber plant has origins from ancient India. The plants fruit is a popular accompaniment to gin, and has a very distinct slightly bitter but refreshing taste.
• Marigold Flower - Sometimes referred to as poor man's saffron, marigold has a complex flavour that can be described as earthy and spicy with a hint of green apple and orange.
• Angelica - Slightly bitter and slightly herbal this earthy root works much like Orris root in that it is a fantastic fixative.
• Grains of paradise - also known as alligator pepper, have a complex flavour with distinct similarities to black pepper with additional citrus notes.

So as you can see, just because something sounds like you would like it, you might not quite like it in a creation of gin!  Now I am sure you are all dying to know what is in my Gin, so here we go:

• Juniper,
• Orris Root,
• Coriander,
• Rhubarb,
• Seville Orange,
• Kaffir Lime,
• Grapefruit Peel,
• Hibiscus,
• Lemongrass,
• Baobab

All of the flavours that I like in Gin or other products I choose to purchase and now all together in one bottle.  The whole process was so easy to follow, I think I learnt something about the art of making and creating gin and having had a play around with ingredients and botanicals to see what grabbed my attention.

If you are looking for a unique gift for someone this Christmas, then you could create a Gin for someone and send it to them with that personalised label, you can add whatever you like to the label, so it is a nice way of sending a congratulations or thank you message, or you could buy someone a gift card and let them loose on creating their own gin if you think that is something they would enjoy.  

Whatever you choose, I am sure, like me you will have a lot of fun creating your gin and all for just £49.99.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Rock Rose Gin - Winter Edition

Gin. What can I say about how much I love it as my alcoholic drink of choice. For many year, before it became 'the' drink, I have always had Gin and Tonic and I love that there is now so many varieties, flavours and types, the gift choice is endless and much more fun to source.  A friend of mine and I, always try and find the most amazing bottle to give one another each year and I think I will win this year because of Rock Rose Gin, The Winter Edition.

Imagine being told that you can have a Christmas Tree Gin, what a thought! Well here she is all her glory and how fabulous is the bottle? It is said that the Winter Edition has been created with thoughts of bracing walks, roaring fires and dark nights in mind. The original Rock Rose elements have been scaled down to allow the delightful pine, earthy notes from the spruce tips to shine through.  If that isn't tempting enough for you, the tasting notes definitely will be.

Botanicals in Gin are really important and the inclusion of Juniper Berries are something you shouldn't be too surprised to see, as with this Gin, they make a great finishing note.  The tasting notes for this Gin have been split into three  - nose, palette and finish.  Having done a Gin tasting event, it was explained how and why you can taste certain elements of tasting note and what to look out for.  So for this Winter Edition it is broken down as follows:

• Nose: Freshly cut pine as per the description above is well and truly evident and because it is balanced with orange peel and eucalyptus it is a quite soft taste.
• Palate: You can see taste and smell the pine from the nose but in comes a hint of spicy black pepper which again is subtle but noticeable
• Finish: This for me is where the Gin becomes a star. Here you get the really clean finish of fresh juniper and for that, you will get a slight hint of lemon, almost lemon sherbet without being as sharp because of the inclusion of both lemongrass and cinnamon.

Most of the comments I get from non-gin drinking friends is that they don't like the aftertaste as it is quite bitter, well this isn't bitter and it isn't acidic either, depending on what you pair it with, the taste is actually refreshing.  I took advice from Dunnet Bay Distillers and paired mine with tonic and a slice of apple and it was just delightful. I'm not just waiting for my Winter Walk Garnish, another suggestion, to arrive so I can try that too.

This Rock Rose Winter Edition Gin is priced at £37.50 for 700ml and can be found via Dunnet Bay Distillers here or Amazon* too.  If you have Gin drinking family members or friends that you usually give a gift too, this is an amazing gift to give.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.