Can You Take The Strane - Sweedish Gin

Smögen Whisky is an artisan craft distillery in Sweden, one of a growing number on the country's rapidly expanding craft distillation scene. The distillery was opened in 2009 by Pär Caldenby,  a former lawyer, and his family. Pär has really thrown himself into the whole hand crafted ideology and all of the spirit has been distilled and blended by his own hand. Primarily a whisky making distillery, one of the few that makes single malt, Smögen barreled their first malt in 2009 and their current offerings include wine and sherry cask aged single malts which you can see here. Thankfully they decided to install a smaller wood fired pot still in order to make craft gin, which they named Strane after an old harbour in Hunnebostrand. The gin contains 12 botaniacls, two of which are secret ingredients. The botanicals he will divulge are juniper, coriander, sage, lime and lemon peel, basil, mint, sweet almond, cinnamon and liquorice. As for the other two? All he will say is that they are somehow linked to the historic trade of armed merchant ships. Not being an expert on Swedish naval affairs, I can't even hazard a guess a what they might be! Smögen displays their whisky heritage in the way the gin is created by distilling three different base gins with unique flavour profiles (juniper, citrus and herbal) and blending them together in varying measures to make one out of the three gin expressions  available. These are Strane London Dry Merchants Strength at 47.4% ABV, Strane London Dry Navy Strength at 57.1% ABV and Strane London Dry Uncut at a whopping 75.3% ABV. This is a highly unusual way to make gin but the process is very common in the whisky world, where whisky aged in different barrels (ex sherry casks, American Oak, port casks, etc.) are blended together by the distillery in order to create a unique expression.

Strane London Dry Uncut Strength

This is the bad boy of the gin world and it's most likely the strongest gin available in the UK. Despite your understandable inclination to put a great deal of non alcoholic mixer with this, Pär Caldenby advises against it. He suggests drinking it ice cold and neat, in very small sips and with a glass of water to hand. That's right, no pussy footing about, drink it like the Swedes do! This is obviously a pretty serious gin and one for true juniper lovers. Do you think you're up to the challenge?

I hope you are as this really is a unique experience and it would be a shame to miss out on the experience due to a few nerves. This delivers a massive punch to the mouth on the first sip; a juniper explosion that has to be experienced to be believed. And it's not just juniper oh no, you also get a great package of minty freshness and sage cut with citrus zest. Obviously there is the alcohol burn but that is nowhere near as bad as what you'd imagine it to be. If you go at it sensibly, this is a very unique and worthwhile gin that has a lot more going for it than just a high ABV.

This is a pretty rare gin, especially in the UK, and is made in very limited quantities. If the closest you get to Scandinavian culture is eating a bit of mashed up Suede (see what I did there!) with your Sunday roast, then I'd highly recommend giving this a try. With any luck the next thing you know you'll be off to the seaside skinny dipping in the ice cold ocean !

Click here to grab a bottle of Strane Uncut to try.

Strane London Dry Navy Strength Gin

At 57.1% this is a classic naval strength gin. Why is that percentage so important? Because that's the strength that will still ignite if it was spilled over something important, namely the gunpowder for your ships cannons and muskets. This is a completely different kettle of fish than the Uncut or Merchant Strength expressions; here the citrus is far more prominent than even the juniper which takes a bit of a backseat. The gin is thicker and oilier and this prevents the secondary flavours of cinnamon and almonds from coming through for awhile, but when they do it's obvious the distiller knows their stuff as they compliment the gin nicely. Long time over proof gin fans will love this, of that there is no doubt. If you're the type who prefers a little more complexity and subtlety of flavour in your gin then maybe go for the Merchant Strength instead. I can see this being used a great deal in cocktails as the strong lemon tone and high strength make it a perfect candidate for a punchy mix. Click here to get your very own bottle of Strane Navy Strength to try.  

Strane London Dry Merchant Strength Gin

After the big ABV of the other two Strane expressions, 47.4% seems pretty tame in comparison. This lower strength allows for more complexity in the flavour department and this expression is highly characterful in this regard.

Juniper leads the charge, surging forward like a battle crazed viking with mint and coriander providing artillery support that pops in your mouth. After the initial assault, your taste buds are finished off with a subtle balance of sage, cinnamon and citrus which come together with great aplomb.

This expression would work well in cocktails but purists will find the greatest pleasure in making a classic gin and tonic with this little beauty. Use a quality tonic like Fever tree and you'll be able to get a very nuanced flavour profile that's crisp and refreshing; definitely a must try gin!

Pick up a bottle of Strane Merchant here.