Portobello Road Gin
Portobello Road Gin :42%ABV
Botanicals: juniper, coriander, angelica, orris root, lemon peel, orange peel, cassia bark, nutmeg, liquorice root
Flavour profile: juniper, citrus, spice
Garnish: twist of grapefruit
The story started when Ged Feltham (libation entrepreneur) and Jake Burger (libation guru) opened the cocktail bar Portobello Star at 171 Portobello Road. The Ginstitute, where an education in all things gin is imparted, was then started in the apartment above, where a small still was also installed. This was used to fashion their own gin and after nine months of experimentation, they had a product they were proud of. Charles Maxwell of Thames Distillers was contacted and he tweaked the recipe and produced the gin at Thames Distillers. Since the gin first rolled off the production line in 2011, it has been a great success but the ultimate aim was always to bring the distillation back in house and this has now been done at The Distillery (see review) across the road from the Portobello Star.
This is one of my favourite bottles; there is an elegant simplicity about the branding, but look carefully and there are layers of complexity that keeps your interest long after the first look. And so it is with the contents.
Citrus is conspicuous on the nose. Neat, juniper is to the fore with woody spices and citrus both evident. This is a warm, clean gin that we could happily drink on the rocks.
We made a cracking martini, but were tempted to just leave out the Vermouth. Careful paring is needed for a G&T. We went for the light, sophisticated 1724 tonic water with a grapefruit twist garnish. The gin was not overpowered and the strong juniper taste shone through with citrus, pepper and nutmeg joining the party; delicious.
The aim was to produce a gin that works as well in a Negroni, a Martini or a G&T. Portobello Road 171 ticks all the boxes and is a great all-rounder; a gin that could be a stalwart in any serious gin drinker’s collection. When you factor in the price (under £25 at Amazon), it’s an absolute steal.
