The Lemon Fool

It is a friends 80th birthday soon and for his birthday a group of us would like to buy him some special gins. He does not like flavoured gin at all and as none of us are gin drinkers I would appreciate any suggestions. I'm sure that one or two of you are knowledgeable on this subject.
Thanks
R6

Rhyd6 wrote:It is a friends 80th birthday soon and for his birthday a group of us would like to buy him some special gins. He does not like flavoured gin at all and as none of us are gin drinkers I would appreciate any suggestions. I'm sure that one or two of you are knowledgeable on this subject.
Thanks
R6

I like Plymouth Gin and it is at least full strength (40%) But I am very traditional.

Dod

Depends on budget a bit but 2 of my favs are Sipsmith and Tanquary No.10, both 'normal' but good gins. No 10 would cost a bit more.

Rhyd6 wrote:It is a friends 80th birthday soon and for his birthday a group of us would like to buy him some special gins.
R6

Special gins (plural)? Does he run a gin bar, or how much of the stuff does he drink?

As a gift, anything stronger than a bottle of wine surely runs the risk of adding to a supply that'll already last the recipient for years!

I too will not have flavoured gins or gin liquers. Bombay Saphire Export I like and I see you can personalise
Another vote for Sipsmiths and Tanquary 10, someone bought me Bath Tub gin as a present but I wasn't too fussed. Hendricks Neptuna was raved about around here but I've not tried it.

Rhyd6 wrote:It is a friends 80th birthday soon and for his birthday a group of us would like to buy him some special gins. He does not like flavoured gin at all and as none of us are gin drinkers I would appreciate any suggestions. I'm sure that one or two of you are knowledgeable on this subject.
Thanks
R6

There are so many gins around now with every small town seemingly having a distillery, that I find most of them a bit "meh". I spent a great week up in Dumfries and Galloway the summer before last and visited the Crafty Distillery just outside of Newton Stewart. If your friend likes a good London Dry gin, I would highly recommend their Hills & Harbour https://craftydistillery.com/products/h ... r-gin-70cl

All the best, Si

Dod101 wrote:I like Plymouth Gin and it is at least full strength (40%) But I am very traditional.

I thought full strength was closer to 50%? I see export versions of gins when I am overseas closer to that figure.

You might like that I like a Scottish gin: Hendricks.

Rhyd6 wrote:It is a friends 80th birthday soon and for his birthday a group of us would like to buy him some special gins. He does not like flavoured gin at all and as none of us are gin drinkers I would appreciate any suggestions. I'm sure that one or two of you are knowledgeable on this subject.
Thanks
R6

A personal favourite is Whittaker's Original from Nidderdale. I discovered it a few years ago during a visit to North Yorkshire and I was very taken with the earthy flavours of the local moorland botanicals. It's available direct from the producer by mail order too.

Another rec for Bombay Sapphire

stewamax wrote:Another rec for Bombay Sapphire

Just to prove what a difficult thing this is as it's so personal, I really don't like bombay. Not saying there's anything wrong with it just that's it's not to my taste.

Another vote for Plymouth. ......

If you are looking for something a little different then they do a Navy Strength which is very good
and a 1842 recipe version (which I have never tried)

Copper Rivet Dockyard Gin. Distilled at Chatham dockyard from local grain. Over 40%i I think, superb.

Rhyd6 wrote:It is a friends 80th birthday soon and for his birthday a group of us would like to buy him some special gins. He does not like flavoured gin at all

I'd suggest that in this context, anything that can be bought in a supermarket like Bombay or Plymouth doesn't really fulfil the brief of being 80th-birthday-special.

But it's tough, as taste can be so personal. I do know a couple of people who are serious ginheads - they go to gin festivals etc - and some of their favourites are Forest (Peak District, more mossy, certainly used to be sold in Harvey Nichols - cool earthenware bottles too), Robin of Locksley (Sheffield) and Sibling (Cheltenham). I've also heard a lot of love for Hepple (Northumbria) and Martin Miller (London).

https://theforestdistillery.com
https://www.siblingdistillery.com/about-us/
https://www.locksleydistilling.com/shop ... ksley-gin/
https://hepplespirits.com/pages/about
http://www.martinmillersgin.com

Hallucigenia wrote:

Rhyd6 wrote:It is a friends 80th birthday soon and for his birthday a group of us would like to buy him some special gins. He does not like flavoured gin at all

I'd suggest that in this context, anything that can be bought in a supermarket like Bombay or Plymouth doesn't really fulfil the brief of being 80th-birthday-special.

But it's tough, as taste can be so personal. I do know a couple of people who are serious ginheads - they go to gin festivals etc - and some of their favourites are Forest (Peak District, more mossy, certainly used to be sold in Harvey Nichols - cool earthenware bottles too), Robin of Locksley (Sheffield) and Sibling (Cheltenham). I've also heard a lot of love for Hepple (Northumbria) and Martin Miller (London).

https://theforestdistillery.com
https://www.siblingdistillery.com/about-us/
https://www.locksleydistilling.com/shop ... ksley-gin/
https://hepplespirits.com/pages/about
http://www.martinmillersgin.com

Other things that work a bit for gin presents include trips to distilleries (tasting sessions/make your own, etc) and those kits that you can use to flavour a gin to your own whim. Giving a fancy unusual tonic along with the bottle can be a nice touch also.

Our gin shelf currently has Hendricks, Roku, Sipsmith and Four Pillars on it. All are very good... but none is a Lagavulin 16 year old

I would endorse most of the ones mentioned, but not Bombay Sapphire as I can't stand it. Personal favourites are Tanqueray 10, Brockmans and Whitley & Neil, but for something special how about Isle of Harris gin, comes in a fantastic bottle as well as being delicious.

MM

Two current favourites from opposite ends of the country are:

https://lindandlime.com/ , from Leith, Edinburgh and and https://silentpooldistillers.com/ from the Surrey Hills. Both delicious with Fevertree Mediterranean tonic water and both have the advantage as a gift of being in extremely attractive bottles.

Thank you one and all for your recommendations. I've bought a bottle of Tanquery 10 70cl for £26 on offer at Amazon as so many recommended it so as there are five of us putting £20 each into the kitty I've got £80 left to explore and read up on some of your other recommendations. That's my mission for tomorrow - have been great grandson and great grandaughters sitting this after noon so am due a large Janeau, my tipple is armagnac, after our evening meal to recover.
Thanks once again, I knew you'd come up trumps.

R6

That's a really good price for Tanqueray 10, well done.

Rhyd6 wrote:Thank you one and all for your recommendations. I've bought a bottle of Tanquery 10 70cl for £26 on offer at Amazon as so many recommended it so as there are five of us putting £20 each into the kitty I've got £80 left to explore and read up on some of your other recommendations. That's my mission for tomorrow - have been great grandson and great grandaughters sitting this after noon so am due a large Janeau, my tipple is armagnac, after our evening meal to recover.
Thanks once again, I knew you'd come up trumps.

R6

Late to the game. If you want an interesting bottle around the gin - forest as already mentioned. Their Earl Grey is different ( and inevitably a matter of taste, but I like it ).
Also Rock Rose make good gins. Especially their Navy Strength https://www.dunnetbaydistillers.co.uk/s ... -rose-gin/

I've spent the rest of the money collected on Hills & Harbour £36, Sipsmith £22 and the remaining £16 on miniatures - Chase Distillery, Hendricks and London No1. Fingers crossed he enjoys them all.
Thanks once again for your help.

R6