Food

Thomas Dakin Gin Review

Thomas Dakin_Tom & TonicI was introduced to Thomas Dakin Gin during a recent trip to Manchester. I don’t remember trying it so when I was given the opportunity to review a bottle of course I said yes.

This gin was created by Thomas Dakin in 1761 during the Industrial Revolution. He began distilling gin in Warrington at the age of 25. The website tells us that Thomas ‘pioneered the development and refinement of high quality English gin and his inventive and enlightened outlook created a superior quality, unrivalled gin distilling heritage and legacy. Given gin’s sordid reputation at the time, this was a highly ambitious move but Dakin had the courage of his convictions to succeed and transform the fortunes of gin from its dark past into a glorious future. Many gin makers followed Thomas Dakin but he was the man that started it all and is widely regarded as the forefather of quality English gin’. Pretty interesting stuff and we’re impressed that Gin has survived nearly 230 years. The recipe is a closely guarded secret and Thomas Dakin will only tell us 8 of the 11 botanicals present. Juniper, English Coriander Seeds, Orange Zest, Cubebs, Liquorice root, Angelica and Red Cole.

My first impression of the bottle is that it’s not a pretty bottle by any means, but it is eye catching. The red label stands out amongst the grey glass of the bottle. It’s even kind of masculine and tells me that this isn’t going to be a sweet gin. It’s going to be savoury.

Tasting the Gin straight before making a G&T, i did notice it was quite a savoury Gin. It does leave a clean lingering taste on the pallet as advertised . It is a strong Gin at 42% but it’s not too overpowering.

The perfect serve Gin and Tonic with Thomas Dakin is 50ml of the gin, 125ml of good quality tonic water, orange peel and a spring of fresh coriander. Pour the gin over a full glass of ice and top up with the tonic water. Twist a 5cm strip of the orange peel onto the top and garnish with a sprig of coriander. So this is what we did. I don’t like a lot of ice with my gin though as I feel it dilutes the gin a bit too much. It was delicious and the coriander really brought out more of the savoriness of the Gin.

For more delicious concoctions, such as the Cottonopolis, visit the Thomas Dakin Website. Plus keep an eye out for more Gin Reviews in ONIN.London.

Website: www.thomasdakin.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/thomasdakingin

Written by Tegan LeBon

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