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Tulchan Gin, Scottish Speyside London Dry Small Batch Gin 45%, 70cl

£9.9£99Clearance
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Four Gold medals were awarded in this heat, including one to 23rd Street Distillery Australian Single Malt Whisky, which had a “funky and sweet palate” that “starts savoury then moves to caramel sweetness”. From the whiskey-rich region of Speyside comes a sweet and herbal London dry, Tulchan gin. (Photo: Tulchan Gin)

Gin isn't just from England and the U.S. Distilleries all over the world produce versions that try to capture the character of where they're made. There are three main categories. Distilled gin is produced from a mash of grains in the same way that whiskey might be. Redistilled gin is a neutral grain spirit that has been distilled a second time. And compound gin is a neutral grain spirit that’s been infused with flavors (this is the least common style). While you can use nearly any botanical you can think of to flavor gin, juniper is the key ingredient. There are two ways to infuse the botanical flavors into gin—either by macerating them in the spirit, or suspending them in what is essentially a large tea bag above the spirit and infusing the gin with vapors. Then there are a few different styles of gin to consider. The best of the bunch are bestowed with a Master medal, meaning they scored above 90 points. Gold and Silver medals are also awarded. Initially Jaisalmer reads as a classic gin on the nose, however the pine, juniper and coriander make way for softer citrus notes, as well as grassy botanical undertones. The taste follows a similar pathway, with the added angelica root and liquorice, but this leads to the subtle but unusual exotic botanicals that make this gin so special – Vetiver and Darjeeling tea. Premium-and-above spirits are thriving, particularly in the US, where sales of luxury products grew by double digits in the second quarter of 2022. Growth in the States was led by Tequila and American whiskey, while Scotch grew at the fastest rate compared with the same period last year.Two panels of expert tasters were called upon to assess this year’s eclectic entries. Forming the first panel were: Bryan Rodriguez, wine and spirits buyer at Harvey Nichols; Anthony Callegari, Edition Hotel London bars manager; and Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business, and chair of The Global Spirits Masters. Capreolus Distillery founder Barney Wilczak said: “AKER is such an exciting project; the creation of a vermouth that elegantly connects us to the essence of the British countryside is something so incredibly special.”

Tobago Gold was the only liqueur to grab a medal in our blind tasting, securing the top award of Master. On the palate, there’s a sweet blend of berries and citrus, resin, cardamom, liquorice and coriander, rounded by that delicious juniper bite. One more tasting task faced the judges: deciding The Luxury Taste Master 2022. After retasting fresh samples of the Master medallists, the judges’ votes were counted and verified, and the result was that Ardbeg 25 Years Old came away as the deserving Taste Master. For more than 22 years we have worked hard to build Tulchan into an advisory firm which both served the needs of our clients and of which we could be proud,” said Grant.

Winner of 1 spirit awards

From there, it was time to focus on agave‐based spirits, starting with an ultra‐premium flight of blanco Tequila. Tequila Exotico Blanco received a Gold medal, described as “superbly fresh and green on the nose”. The new product in question, though, is Tulchan Gin, a fairly recent launch from Stoli Group that is produced in the heart of scotch whisky country, at the House of Tulchan estate in Speyside. They’re nestled into one of the most famously dense whisky-producing regions in the world, home to some of the biggest scotch whisky brands such as The Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, The Macallan, Dalwhinnie, Aberlour, Balvenie, and many more. But Tulchan has no whisky; their entire focus is on producing gin with native Scottish botanicals, often sourced from the estate itself. As the brand puts it:

To create the new serve, an infusion of blossoms, roots and spices are balanced with wormwood before, lastly, distilled Chapel Down Chardonnay grape skin distillate is added to enhance the flavour even further, designed for a longer, lighter drinking experience. One of the largest categories in this year’s Luxury Masters was Scotch whisky, with Islay single malt Ardbeg scooping the top Taste Master title for its 25-year-old bottling. The whisky was selected for the highest accolade following a re-taste of all the Master medallists at the end of the competition. In the final rum flight, an ultra‐premium spiced rum secured a Gold medal: Welsh Witch. The rum was described as “very consumer‐friendly with solid overall balance”. Beyond typically luxurious spirits such as Scotch and Cognac, drinkers are also seeking to swap to other premium categories that are more affordable, particularly as consumers deal with rising prices and a recession looms.The Estate, in Speyside near Grantown-on-Spey on the banks of the River Spey, is surrounded by incredible views of lochs, moors and glens. The 22,000-acre Tulchan Estate is mainly a sporting ground, but it comes with fine dining, spa facilities and stunning accommodation options. The second team comprised: David T Smith, spirits consultant, writer and co-founder of the Craft Distilling Expo; Evan Prousaefs, bar manager at Sexy Fish in London; Dimple Athavia, founder of All Things Drinks; and Matt Chambers, co-founder of the Whisky for Everyone blog and the North London Whisky Club, who chaired the panel. Tulchan Gin is presented in a luxury embossed blue glass bottle with tartan running down the side, reflecting the gin’s Scottish heritage. The label on the front of the bottle includes an illustration of the Estate’s brand icon, The Grouse Piper playing the bagpipes. The Grouse Piper is used to represent the proud, independent wild birds that live amongst the wild heather. A further nod to Tulchan Gin’s Scottish roots is the wooden cork stopper which has a Scottish thistle stamp. Tulchan Gin is a robust, juniper forward London Dry gin elevated with the Scottish botanicals that shine through. Tulchan Gin was one of three Master medallists in the gin round, praised for its “lovely aroma, with citrus and lychees”. The texture was described as “mouth-coating and luxurious, with slight floral and herbaceous notes on the palate”. Tulchan Gin, 45% ABV, is a London Dry gin with a flavour profile based on the flora and fauna of the Speyside region it comes from. Speyside may be better known for its whisky production, but the countryside also lends itself to foraging botanicals for gin making. Inspired by Speyside

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