Brighton Gin Captures The Essence Of Diversity

Brighton Gin tries to capture the essence of a young and vibrant city that is part historical regency splendour and part flamboyant party town. From its royal roots at the turn of the last century to the seedier aspects and gang fights between Mods and Rockers during the 50s and 60s, Brighton is certainly a lively and cosmopolitan place to be. Brighton Spirits Company was founded in 2013 based on a shared desire to create a gin worthy of the city’s creative and vibrant nature. Brighton Gin is Brighton Distilleries flagship brand and was commercially launched in December 2014 with former restaurateur Kathy Caton and spirits specialist Helen Cheshire at the helm. Also involved are fellow Brightonites Ian Barry as head distiller, Johnathan Ray who was the drinks editor at The Daily Telegraph and former owner of WJ King Brewery, Nigel Lambe. Kathy and Helen initially started out in a small office in a residential street in Hove with a gin lab set up in one half of the room with experimentation and distillation having to take place around their work schedules. The distilling operation is now permanently situated in the basement of The Urchin in Hove. The copper still dominates the room with the other distillation sundries of bottles, labels, a waxing station (for the bottles, not their legs!) and sacks of botanicals fitting in where there is a space. It's a small operation but one that will grow in the future. Brighton's varied and vibrant history is depicted on the label with famous landmarks like the Pier and The Royal Pavilion making an appearance. This is the first ever legal distillery in the city and the local populace have really gotten behind Brighton Gin. The idea was to focus on cultivating growth within the city but due to the high quality of the gin sales have soared and it can now be found in bars all over the South. The still can produce up to 600 bottles a day if needed but they realised that quickly expanding would affect the quality and consistency of the gin. Instead, the team have been scaling production slowly in order to keep up with demand. Brighton Spirits Company are remaining tight lipped about the botanicals that actually go into the gin but we do know that it's made from 100% British organic grain spirit and some of the botanicals are milk thistle, juniper, coriander seed, fresh orange peel, lime and angelica root.

 Brighton Gin - 40% 70cl

The milk thistle makes itself known on the nose and comes ahead of the juniper. Fresh juniper takes the lead on the palate with hints of coriander and citrus; the citrus becomes more pronounced as we near the finish which is dry. The Brighton Gin team recommends pairing it with a slice of orange in a Gin & Tonic to accentuate the fresh orange peel. We agree, the warm citrus adds a soft touch while keeping the more distinct notes of milk thistle and juniper clear and upfront. This is a great gin bought to you by people who are very passionate about creating something Brighton would be proud of. Brighton might not be your cup of tea but I bet this gin is! You can pick up a bottle of Brighton Gin to try here.