Drumshanbo Gunpowder Gin Brazilian Pineapple

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 43% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Brazilian pineapple adds another dimension to the interplay of Gunpowder green tea and botanicals in this Drumshanbo edition. PJ Rigney discovered the pineapple known as Abacaxi during a trip to Brazil and developed this variant from that encounter. Its sweet-tart fruit character expands a recipe that also brings together Chinese tea, Irish meadowsweet and spices.

The gin is slowly distilled in copper stills at The Shed Distillery. Production combines the distillation of botanicals in the still with vapour infusion; pineapple is also among the vapour-distilled ingredients. The team in Drumshanbo fills, labels and seals the bottles by hand. This bottling contains 0.7 litres and has an alcohol content of 43%.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Green pineapple leads on the nose, accompanied by hints of papaya, makrut lime leaves and pine-like juniper. As it warms, the pineapple takes on a candy-like character with a lime undertone.
• Palate: Gunpowder green tea, juniper and a little cardamom open the palate. Pineapple, candied lemon, dried pineapple and lime peel then emerge, complemented by delicate vanilla and almond notes. As the palate develops, green, slightly tart pineapple, resinous juniper and baking spices appear. Anise remains in the background, complemented by green tea, cardamom and a hint of chai tea.
• Finish: The finish is distinctly warm. Green tropical fruit lingers with a hint of peppery cubeb and green citrus peel.

Distillery/Bottler:

The Shed Distillery is located in Drumshanbo in Ireland's County Leitrim, beside Lough Allen and at the foot of Sliabh an Iarainn. PJ Rigney chose this rural setting for a distillery where he could experiment with native plants and international botanicals. Together with Denise Rigney and his team, he brought the distillery into operation on 21 December 2014; its first whiskey spirit was distilled that day.

The stills were custom-built for the distillery by Arnold Holstein in Germany. Of the five copper pot stills, two are used to produce Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin and three for whiskey production. Two additional copper column stills are used for vodka. These separate installations allow the distillery to produce different spirits using distillation methods suited to each.

Facts: