Gin is It – Irish Small Batch Gin Producers

Published in the Irish Times Saturday 16th January, 2916

Whiskey is not the only home-produced spirit enjoying a revival. Gin, once seen as the preserve of the middle-aged yachting classes, is now the fashionable drink around town. Served in teacups or in cocktails, as a classic G&T, or simply by itself with ice, gin overtook vodka in the style stakes several years ago and looks set to become even more popular in 2016.

At one stage we were content to choose from a few large well-known brands, but the new gin drinker is much more demanding. Following on from a group of entrepreneurial artisan producers in the UK, Spain and the US, new small-batch craft distillers are springing up all over this country.

The process of making gin is quicker than whiskey; no long-ageing in barrels or intricate blending of different casks is needed. Gin is all about the botanicals. It must contain juniper; after that it is up to the master blender to come up with a concoction of herbs, spices and fruits that put a unique stamp on his or her gin. One distillery offers seasonal gins reflecting the changing weather. Some use herbs, flowers and other ingredients foraged locally.

You can make your own “bathtub” gin simply by soaking juniper berries, followed by whatever botanicals you fancy, in a neutral spirit such as vodka, although the result is never as good as a high quality gin. Still, you can now try your hand at making gin in Lillie’s Laboratory in Lillie’s Bordello in Dublin.

Last year, Desmond Payne of London gin producer Beefeater toured the country with his array of gins. I missed the tasting but have been working my way through the leftovers, so to speak. The delicious Beefeater 24 includes Chinese green tea and Japanese sencha tea in its makeup. Otherwise, Tanqueray No 10 is my favourite foreign gin at the moment, but there are plenty of good artisan producers in the UK.

Craft gin production has taken off here in the past 18 months. I looked at the Shortcross, Dingle and Blackwater No 5 gins in 2015; all three are very good. This time, three more Irish small-batch producers. Look out also for the award-winning Blackwater Thin Gin, based on Irish botanicals.

Glendalough Distillery make four seasonal gins each year, from wild botanicals, berries and fruit selected by local forager Geraldine Kavanagh. “We have turned consistency on it’s head,” says Gary McLoughlin of Glendalough. “You are literally tasting what is in season.” Less than 2,000 bottles of each batch is made.

“They got him on milk and alcohol,” as Dr. Feelgood used to sing. Bertha’s Revenge is a gin distilled from cow’s whey. Bertha was the oldest cow in the world when she died in 1993, at the age of 48. The gin is the brainchild of Antony Jackson and Justin Green of Ballyvolane House in Castlelyons, Co Cork. As well as several ciders, Highbank Orchards, run by Julie and Rod Calder-Potts, make a range of excellent organic apple-based products including two gins. I feature the Crystal below; the other is Pink Flamingo.

Most gin is consumed in cocktails, where the combination of botanicals can really add complexity to the mix. Classic gin cocktails, such as negroni, martini or simply the gin and tonic are in vogue, but the nation’s mixologists have plenty of innovative options to offer as well. The Spanish prefer to drink their G&Ts very late at night, often in a goldfish bowl glass. The Dutch drink jenever, the forerunner of gin, neat, in shots, from the freezer. Whatever way you drink them, the new gins offer a range of fascinating flavours. If you fancy a short wine break to lift the winter gloom, Knockranny House will hold one of their excellent wine producer’s weekends from January 29th-30th. knockrannyhousehotel.ie Closer to home, two Antipodean wine fairs will take place, New Zealand on the January 21st, followed by Australia on the 27th. jeansmullen.com

BOTTLES OF THE WEEK

>Bertha’s Revenge Small Batch Irish Milk Gin, 42%, €49.99

A lovely lifted aromatic nose, and a smooth warming lightly spicy palate. Complex and delectable.

Stockists: Full list of stockists at ballyvolanespirits.ie

Glendalough Wild Winter Botanical Gin, 41%, €45-€47

Pine trees, damsons and spice. Very distinctive. Christmas in a glass!

Stockists: Specialist off-licences including Celtic Whiskey, Dublin Airport and O’Briens

Highbank Organic Irish Apple Crystal Gin, €60

A delicious fragrant gin with subtle apple, juniper and herbs finishing dry and long. Very fine.

Stockists: Greenacres, Wexford; Celtic Whiskey Shop; Highbankorchards.com

The Wines to Pair with your Christmas Dinner

First published in the Irish Times, 12th December, 2015

Today, wines to match the recipes from our all-star team of chefs. Do not get stressed trying to find the perfect wine to match your Christmas dinner. Almost any wine tastes fine when sharing nicely-cooked food with good friends or family. If the host is hyperventilating, the rest of the table are unlikely to enjoy themselves. That said, it can be fun to try out different combinations, and a good food and wine match will make both taste so much better.

Scallops, brown butter and mandarin
This looks absolutely delicious. Here we need something with nice plump fruit and hopefully a touch of orange zest to match the mandarin. Grüner veltliner sounds brilliant as does a medium-bodied chardonnay, an albariño from Spain or the fiano below.

Suggestions:I am a big fan of Birgit Eichinger’s Hasel grüner veltliner (€19, independents). The Michele Biancardi fiano (€16.95 jnwine.com) has the fruit to match the scallops; those on a budget could look at the Exquisite Collection Rías Baixas from Aldi (€9.49).

Clare Island salmon, crab, pickled vegetables and apple balsamic vinegar
You could stick with the above suggestions here but the sweet/sour pickle should go very nicely with a German riesling. Riesling has floral aromas, which sounds good with cherry blossom, and is also one of the best matches for crab, so that would seal it for me.

Suggestions:The award-winning Penfold’s Koonunga Hill Autumn riesling (€18.99 from O’Briens and independents) or the exotic Wagner-Stempel riesling (€19.95, independents).

Confit duck leg spring roll with pickled red cabbage, yoghurt and cumin
This has a whole lot going on in terms of flavour and spice. Duck goes really well with pinot noir so this is a bit of a no brainer. The spice and mild pickled cabbage (strong vinegar flavours do not go well with any wine) would suggest steering clear of Burgundy and heading to the New World; Chile, Oregon, California or New Zealand are all possibilities. I really enjoyed the Windy Peak pinot noir recently (€15.99 in independents) but it might be a little too light for the duck. If you want to start off with a white, the riesling or the grüner veltliner suggested above should work nicely.

Suggestions: In an ideal world a bottle of Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir (€37), but reality might dictate the Secano Pinot Noir (€14.29), both from M&S.

Turkey with buttered roots
Pinot noir would be an option here again. It goes well with turkey and with the sweet notes of the buttered vegetables. If you fancy something with a bit more power, grenache-based wines from the Rhône or Australia would do nicely too. I include one of my favourites below. However, if you really want to push the boat out, I would go to Italy and the excellent Villa di Capezzana, as it has none of those drying tannins that can clash with turkey.

Suggestions:See below for two main course options. If you are having a large crowd, the Cepa Lebrel rioja reserva 2010 (€8.99) or the lighter unoaked Cepa Lebrel Joven (€6.99), both from Lidl are worth considering.

Poached pear on pain d’épices with vanilla cream
I might try this myself for Christmas day. It looks truly lovely, simple to assemble on the day and light enough after a big meal. It will also go perfectly with some of my favourite dessert wines. I feature three next week, but in the meantime…
Suggestions: You could try out the elegant Baumard Coteaux du Layon (€13.50, independents) or the delicious Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Auslese Dr H Thanisch (a bargain €20 from Jus de Vin, Portmarnock).

BOTTLES OF THE WEEK

Pazo de Señorans 2013, Rías Baixas, 12.5%, €22.99
Delightful succulent pear fruits cut through with refreshing citrus, finishing long and dry. Perfect with scallops and other seafood.
Stockists: O’Briens

Ch. Pesquie Les Terrasses 2012, Ventoux, 14.5%, €18.95
Delicious, warming, supple wine packed with strawberry fruits and light spice.
Stockists: Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; 64wine, Glenageary; La Touche, Greystones; Donnybrook Fair; One Pery Square, Limerick.

Villa di Capezzana 2011, Carmignano, 15%, €34.99
Seductive soft ripe cherry fruits with a savoury, spicy touch. A lovely combination of elegance and richness.
Stockists: 64wine; Jus de Vine; Green Man Wines; Fallon & Byrne; Redmond’s; Searsons; Michael’s Wines.

Take it Home December 16th: Dunbrody IPA and Clos des Alisiers Macon

Dunbrody Irish Pale Ale

Last week the Arthurstown brewery joined the ever-lengthening list of craft breweries in this country. Based in the Dunbrody House Estate, this is the brainchild of celebrity chef Kevin Dundon, owner of Dunbrody, local farmer and B&B owner Tosh Crosbie, local businessman Eamon Murphy and marketeer Niamh Ní Dhónaill. The story goes that Arthurstown had no pub, so ‘The Local’ bar was built in the grounds of Dunbrody. Kevin and his mates were enjoying a pint there one evening when someone came up with the idea of brewing their own beer.

The brewery has the capacity to produce eight thousand litres a week. The brewer is Kieran Bird, a local, or at least ‘five or six miles down the road’ he says. They produce the Kings Bay beers for SuperValu as well as Dunbrody Irish Pale Ale and Irish Red Ale. The latter are aimed at restaurants and specialist off-licences, the former as introductory beers for newbie craft beer converts. All of the base malts are grown locally, and Kieran is very happy with the soft water supplied by an ancient well on the grounds of Dunbrody. I’ll be brewing the stout in the New Year, and we are starting to think about other seasonal beers,’ says Kieran, ‘maybe a lager with strawberries to go with the other famous local produce, maybe a pumpkin ale or a lighter Kölsch for the spring. We will see.’ The Dunbrody Pale Ale is light, crisp and refreshing with a subtle citrus finish.

Closerie des Alisiers Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine 2014

€14.95

Most of us will have supped a glass of Mâcon-Lugny at some stage in our drinking lives. It appears on almost every restaurant wine list and on the shelves of almost every supermarket. It comes in various labels and in various styles but the vast majority (some 13 million bottles) is made by the Caves de Lugny, the largest wine co-operative in France. Most of it is very quaffable if a little boring at times. There is much more to Mâcon though ; thirty odd other villages are allowed to add their name to that of Mâcon. So you will find Mâcon-Uchizy, Mâcon-Vergisson or Mâcon-Davayé. There is even a Mâcon-Chardonnay, from the town of Chardonnay. These are often made by small quality-minded producers who make amazingly good wines at very reasonable prices. Such as the Mâcon above. Fresh and pure, with lovely plump apple fruits, this is a steal at €14.95. Available from Whelehan’s Wines in Loughlinstown.