Let’s be honest, there are a lot of people out there looking for the next interesting flavour of gin. G & Teas Cornish Cream Tea Gin stood out to me as a real crowd pleaser and when they offered to send me their tasting trio gift set [gifted], I didn’t even think about the other two gins that would be in there, but oh my! What an offering they are!
Based in Cornwall, founders Liz, Chris and Kirsty, work with Colwith Distillery to infuse natural tea blends with botanicals into craft gin and the results are spectacular! Tea works brilliantly in gin and from my first experience of a gin with tea at Half Hitch four years ago, we are now seeing some incredible examples, including one of my personal favourite gins, Bimber’s Da Hong Pao. Tea adds wonderful dry, earthy notes to a gin that can range from a deep smoke, to a beautiful delicate camomile bouquet. That’s a wide spectrum of flavour.
I tried each of these on their own, and with a hint of tonic to see what happens when you lengthen the flavour out. They’re all 40% and each one has a really discernible character as well as being a well made product. There are some suggested serves on the back to get you started with some nicely garnished G&Ts. I’d say due to some of the nuances and delicate nature of the complexities, these would sing a real tune when kept simple so you don’t need to dress them up too much. Likewise, with such complexities, there are several ways you could dress each one up and that’s kind of fun.
The Great Earl Gin boasts a botanical profile of Juniper, coriander, bitter orange, lemon peel, rose petals, angelica root, Cornish bay leaves and apricot kernels. The nose has a deep stone fruit sweetness to it, but not overpowering. On the palate the botanical mix is delicate and beautifully cohesive, a sublime glide through flavour. This gin works really well with tonic too. With it being so delicate I’d suggest a well made, clean tonic. Nothing too sweet as it would mask that lovely flavour. In fact, I’d suggest that for all three of these.
Eight Tea Drops Gin has a rich and fruity profile of juniper, royal gala apple, orange, hibiscus, rose petals, rosehip, orris root, cassia, grains of paradise, sweet almonds. On the nose this has a very rich earthy smell from the grains of paradise. The palate is predominantly earthy spice but there is a lovely deep belly of fruit form the apple and orange. The gin also has a beautiful and crisp floral finish from the hibiscus, rose petals and rosehip. This is a really generous and lovely gin. It has a gorgeous complexity and us a sensuous journey through the flavour elements. When mixed with tonic it really comes to life as a bright and vibrant G&T. It’s a really lovely offering and a really solid gin to have in your collection.
And finally, their Cornish Cream Tea Gin. With a botanical list comprised of juniper, coriander, mango, hibiscus, rosehip, orris root, apricot kernels and finally Cornish Strawberries, I couldn’t wait to try a dram. It’s an interesting gin. Rather than taste like a cream tea, it evokes a cream tea, whilst still being complex, fruity and juniper forward. I like this balance and think it’s great when a distillery can get a signature flavour into gin without it taking over. On the nose, there is just a hint of strawberry without it being oversweet. on the palate there is are layers of spice and floral notes rounded off with a gentle mango smoothness. Adding tonic pulls apart those flavours wonderfully to reveal a lovely underlying sweetness that works as the cream.
And, if you’re really into your tea, you can buy the tea blends at their shop too. How lovely is that?
The trio is a great set for gifting. It’s £18.50 for the set, although they did have a 3 sets for £45 deal if you’ve got a few gin drinkers in your life. And heads up, they are offering free delivery until the 15th December, that’s tomorrow! So you’ve got 24 hours from now to pick up that extra little something for your loved ones by heading to their site, here. That said, after trying them, I think I’d be more inclined to keep them for myself.