Bathtub Gin - 40.3%

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 40.3% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Distillation is only part of what shapes Bathtub Gin: a London Dry Gin made in a copper pot still is then cold-macerated with additional botanicals. Orange peel and five other plant ingredients steep in the already distilled gin. There is no further distillation, so the flavours extracted during this extra step remain in the gin. The botanicals also give it a slight natural colour; no colouring is added.

The recipe includes juniper, coriander, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, orange and lemon. Juniper, a creamy texture and a spicy finish define the gin. The bottle contains 0.7 litres at 40.3% alcohol. An orange slice makes a suitable garnish for a gin and tonic, echoing the flavour of orange peel.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Juniper leads on the nose, supported by robust grain notes. Cardamom and orange blossom complement the bouquet, while cinnamon remains a subtle hint.
• Palate: Juniper appears first on the palate, accompanied by earthy notes from the botanicals. The mouthfeel is distinctly creamy and thick.
• Finish: On the finish, juniper recedes as cardamom and cinnamon become more prominent. Orange peel returns at the very end.

Distillery/Bottler:

Bathtub Gin is part of the Ableforth’s range, launched in 2011, which also includes Rumbullion! alongside gin. Bathtub Gin grew out of a search for a more intensely flavoured gin and an exploration of historical production methods. Its name refers to earlier “bathtub gins”, in which plant ingredients were steeped in the spirit without distilling it again afterwards.

Cold maceration remains central to this approach. Temperature affects how quickly compounds are extracted from the botanicals: extraction is slower in winter than in summer. In Kent, England, the bottles are wrapped by hand, tied with string and sealed with wax. This presentation is part of the bottling, not additional gift packaging.

Facts: