The London No.1 Gin, 70 cl

Product Information

Since Gonzalez Byass launched London No. 1 in 2005, it has seen tremendous growth in the Spanish market, growing 253 percent between 2011 and 2013. According to Nielsen, London No. 1 has gained a total market share of more than 12 percent in the super-premium gin segment.

I’m not sold on the blue color, but the gin itself is versatile, well-made, and unique in its own way. That sounds like a lot, but London No. 1 is surprisingly well-constructed. On the nose you’ll find a solid juniper base, plus hints of caramel sauce, orange and even grapefruit notes. The licorice character is mild but distinct — while this ingredient is becoming commonplace in modern gins, this is one of the few products I can recall where I could actually taste the licorice element. This is one of our first of many projects towards expansion into the U.S. market,” says Jorge Grosse, González Byass CEO. “With the gin and tonic trend exploding in Spain, and the continued interest in super-premium spirits in the U.S., the timing couldn’t be more appropriate to bring London No. 1 to the U.S.” Made by historic London wine merchants Berry Bros. & Rudd, the six-botanical spirit took two years to develop with Dr David Clutton – a man who holds a PhD in gin (yep, that exists). It was worth the effort. The gin enters the mouth with all the intensity that I was expecting, with strong floral flavours leading in front and a ginger-like spiciness which heat heats up the palate. Firm impressions of lavender and lilac seem to be omnipresent tainting the more familiar sensations of juniper and orange citrus with their presence. Lemongrass and balsam weave in and out, and I admit the London No. 1 Original Gin is just a little too full of perfume-like floral flavour and spice for me to sip comfortably.

My Account

The London No. 1 Original Blue Gin is a product of Gonzalas Byass who are a Spanish wine/cellars company which also produces a variety of distilled spirits including brandy, anisette, botanical vodka and of course gin. Their gin is triple distilled (from English grain in London, England) on a traditional pot still in small batches. The gin is finished with bergamot oil, giving a perfumed aroma of Earl Grey tea. Citrus qualities marry beautifully with the fresh and juicy flavors of Italian orange and lemon peel. London No. 1 is quadruple-distilled, resulting in a full-bodied, modern gin that has a nose with marked notes of balsamic herbs, spices, juniper and truffle. González Byass is proud to announce the arrival of London No. 1 to the U.S. market this spring. The gold-medal winning London Dry style gin will launch initially in New York and Florida with additional markets to be added.

Inspired by the heritage of London Style gins that used to create a striking ‘blue haze’ in their distillation process, they set about creating a unique blue gin. Like many spirits, getting the exacting colour took time before settling on the captivating shade of pale blue created by a delicate alkaline colouring. Of all the gins out there, none hit the sweet spot between classic gin flavour and moreish complexity quite like No. 3. If you have room for just one gin on your shelf, we’d make it this one. This is perplexing. I sampled London No. 1 Blue Gin about eight years ago, and according to my review I quite liked it. This time around, the only portion of the review which scores as well (actually a little better) is the bottle. It is the perfume-like quality of the gin which I do not find nearly so attractive this time around. Perhaps as I have gotten older, my sensitivity to perfume-like aromas has increased. Whatever the reason, my score had dropped considerably, Of course once I began using vodka in conjunction with the No. 1 Gin, I had much better success. The product was first test marketed in Spain, and was then launched in limited quantities internationally in 2012. It is bottled at 47 % alcohol by volume ensuring a more concentrated flavour than more traditional spirits which are bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume. I original;ly reviewed this spirit in 2013 when it was first introduced in Canada. Recently I was given a new sample bottle and so I have decided to revisit London No. 1 Original Blue Gin to see if my original tasting notes still represented the spirit. In the Bottle 4.5/5This gin is produced in England but under the ownership of the Spanish comany Gonzalez Byass, best known for its winery (where it is the producer of Tio Pepe sherry). That’s curious enough on its own, but London No. 1’s blue color is also of particular note. This is not a blue-tinted bottle like Bombay Sapphire. This is blue gin (courtesy of some certified colors). The London No 1 gin er en af vores foretrukne gin, når det kommer til at lave en helt klassisk gin & tonic. Ginnens smagsnoter er mange, og inviterer ginnen til gin og tonics, der involverer urter og citrusfrugter. Man kan med fordel tilføje peber for at frembringe urtesmagen i sin gin og tonic. I like the new bottle and especially like the solid synthetic corked closure. I also like that the bottle is clear allowing you to see the pale turquoise blue colour of the gin. The aroma from the glass is intensely floral. It has a sharp perfume-like quality which similar to freshly bloomed lilacs. The more familiar gin aromas of earthy juniper, spicy cardamom, lemon peel and orange citrus lie somewhat behind that floral intensity. The world of gin is awash in numbers. There is Tanqueray No. Ten. Beefeater 24. Monkey 47. No. 3. No. 209. And London 40. Now the numismatics are coming full circle, with The London No. 1.