Bombay

£20.00 Quantity:

Bombay Sapphire’s story begins in 1761, when at the age of 24 Thomas Dakin purchased a site with potential for distilling on Bridge street in Warrington, thus establishing one of the first major distilleries outside of London. Dakin began his business not by creating Bombay Sapphire however – that was only to come about some 200 years later – instead it all started with Warrington Gin. Over the following years at the turn of the 1800′s, the Dakin family continued to develop their gin, adapting to new technologies and breakthroughs in distillation techniques. In 1831, the family purchased a new copper still – one of the first Carterhead stills around. It was this vital acquisition that set the gin apart from the rest of the crowd as it was one of the first gins not to boil the botanicals in the pot, but instead place it at the top of the column and vapour infuse it instead.

The Vapour process is vital to understanding how Bombay Sapphire is different to many gins out in the market. There are only a few of these types of stills (Carterhead) remaining in the world and three are exclusive to Bombay Sapphire. During the distillation process the spirit vapour passes up through a basket at the top of the column and is delicately infused with the aromatic flavours of the botanicals. This gives a lighter, more floral gin rather than the more-common ‘punchy’ gins that are distilled using a copper pot still. In layman’s terms, it’s much like the difference between boiling ingredients and steaming them.

Bombay Sapphire Gin –

Juniper, coriander, angelica, almonds, cubeb berries, lemon peel, orris, liquorice, cassia bark and grains of paradise come together to form fresh and lively gin, lighter than classic London Dry’s but with a warm peppery finish. Its slightly floral character makes for a refreshing G&T and works well in an Aviation too. No doubt Bombay Sapphire is an exceptionally smooth spirit, but without a doubt its defining character has to be the fact that it is light and crisp.

Read Gin Foundry's full review here: Bombay Sapphire

Star of Bombay Gin –

Featuring two additional botanicals – Bergamot orange peel from Calabria in southern Italy and ambrette seed from Ecuador – on top of the 10 botanicals that feature in their flagship gin Bombay Sapphire, Star of Bombay is also packaged in a sexy looking bottle with an amazing amount of detail. It is slightly musty on the nose and to taste is evocative of dried flowers, though with an underlying spice. Almost strangely, the classic notes of juniper, angelica and coriander have been intensified, but ambrette is immediately apparent. There's a jammy hibiscus to taste, with piquant spice, bergamot and ambrette seeds offering an exotic twist by entwining themselves around the core juniper. It’s an intense gin yet somehow retains the lightness expected of a Bombay distilled spirit. At 47.5% ABV, the finish is both long and richly aromatic but it’s not oily nor full – just rich when it hits and leaves behind a vivid memory.

Read Gin Foundry's full review here: Star of Bombay