Gins with a sense of place
The next one he picks will most likely be hawthorn flowers – 'our use of hawthorn is quite small but it can give a lovely delicacy in a broad blend,' he says – or, possibly, nettle tips. Through July and August, he will gather around 52,000 stems of bog myrtle, Myrica gale, a beautifully perfumed, damp-loving shrub traditionally used to repel midges.
Hand-picking 52,000 stems sounds arduous but apparently 'that's actually the easy bit. After that, we de-stem by hand so we end up with around half a million leaves. We don't want the stalks in the still because it gives a bit too much woodiness. It's not unpleasant, it just doesn't work in that particular blend. With Pollination we're looking for delicacy and subtlety. We preserve the botanicals after picking, then do a blend from across the year, otherwise we'd only have three-quarters of the [artist's] palette.'
The tiny Dyfi (pronounced Dovey) Distillery lies in a Unesco-designated biosphere reserve in the southernmost part of Snowdonia. Of its four gins, only Pollination has been granted the UK GI, meaning it has characteristics attributed to a specific geographic origin. The process of attaining this status sounds almost as laborious as the bog myrtle leaf-picking. Cameron, a wine importer in his previous life, says it took five years from start to finish and, as well as the inevitable mountain of paperwork, involved a tasting to ascertain that Pollination has distinctive organoleptic qualities that aren't replicated in gins from elsewhere.
Pollination Dovey Native Botanical Gin (45%), Dyfi Distillery, £37.95 for 50cl
Thanks to the popularity of London Dry gin, it's a common misconception that gin classifications have long been tied to place. But London Dry describes only a style that can be made anywhere provided the right regulations are adhered to, including sweetness levels and that the botanicals can only be introduced during the distillation process.
While Pollination is the only gin in the UK to win GI status, there are others made using foraged or local ingredients with the intention of representing the fragrances and perfumes found in nature around the distillery in which they're made. For instance, Hepple Gin is made in Northumberland using Douglas fir from the surrounding woods, and lovage and blackcurrant leaves from the distillery's gardens. Cambridge Dry Gin was inspired by a Cambridge meadow and its botanicals include basil, rosemary, lemon verbena and rose. Even King Charles has got in on the act, with a (rather good) gin inspired by the lemon verbena, thyme and rosemary that grow at Highgrove.
Highgrove Organic Garden Botanical Gin (40%), Highgrove Gardens, £44.95 for 70cl
While sales of the novelty gins have fallen, artisan gins are still going strong. 'We haven't really been affected [by the slide in gin sales],' says Cameron. Probably because Pollination Dovey Native Botanical Gin (45%, Dyfi Distillery, £37.95 for 50cl) is for aficionados: made in tiny quantities, it's available only from the distillery door or website (as well as being served in a number of top restaurants, such as the Black Swan at Oldstead). It's a beauty: textured and aromatic like a wild landscape with fat bees buzzing and a gentle breeze blowing.
Three more bottles to try
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