Garden Swift Gin
Garden TigerGin :47%ABV
Botanicals: 34 Including juniper, organic blood orange, lime tree leaves, elderberries and pine
Flavour profile: fabulous
Garnish: orange
The first clue to the attention lavished on this product comes in the packaging. The bottle is made from UV-resistant glass to protect the contents, while the cork is from Portugal and porous to create a breathable obstacle to promote maturation within the bottle. The label is beautifully designed with an embossed moth representing the garden tiger moth and the golden swift moth after which the gin is named. The whole package oozes class. But what of the contents?
Master distiller Barney Wilczak keeps the botanicals (34!) a close secret but some are obvious; on the nose, there are sweet floral hints, a touch of liquorice in addition to juniper and blood orange. Neat, the blood orange is to the fore with sweet honey, herbs, spices and a long, warm finish. We loved this neat over ice; it makes a great aperitivo. I must confess that we were so enamoured, we had it as a digestivo as well.
A cracking G&T can be made with a garnish of an orange wheel but please don’t drown out the taste. Choose carefully. Merchant’s Heart light allowed the taste to come through nicely.
We would normally try a gin with a few cocktails but due to the fact that it came in a 500ml bottle, and we were enjoying it neat and in a G&T so much, we ran out before serious mixing could take place. I am sure, though, that Garden Swift will make an excellent cocktail base, particulary in a martini. There is a complexity to this gin which is almost unique. Every taste reveals another layer. Gin comes to TheGinMan and gins go but there is a coveted space on the gin shelf for an ever-present gin of exceptional quality. There aren’t too many there, but Garden Swift went straight on with no dissenters.
Yes, it is pricey. Very. But we’ve yet to come across a gin where the expense is more justified.
Postscript: since this review was written we have sampled Garden Swift in a martini or several; magnificent!
