Page 68 - Adrenaline DEC
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Tom’s mother Adéle was a wonderful cook and keen gardener, tending her kitchen garden with great passion, this garden is now the botanical garden for the distillery that lends its name to the limited edition gins crafted from the herbaceous plants that give the gins their beautiful balance of flavour and aroma.
Stepping inside the 200 year-old barn you could be forgiven for not noticing the aerial pictures of the farm adorning the walls as your vision is consumed by this awesome copper structure named Curiosity. Curiosity is a bespoke copper still hand made for them by the Arnold Holstein family and delivered to Falls Farm in 2012. She is the heartbeat of the operation and was the first of her kind in the UK. She was christened “Curiosity” when upon delivery she left a “paw print” in the wet cement. Curiosity’s 500 litre pot is used to produce all the W.E. world class gin using the London Dry one-shot distillation method. The Copper is extremely important in the rectification of the spirit and Arnold Holstein hold the patent for an additional part of the
traditional column called the catalyser. This turbo charges the removal of impurities from the base spirit and botanical recipe so the end result is a much purer and cleaner spirit. This amazing looking piece of equipment could have come right out of an H G Wells movie, there is what we could only describe as an alcohol fountain, where you could sample the pure spirit as it flows past.
In the same room is her little sister, a miniature 50 litre copper pot still called “Satisfaction” delivered in 2016 to ease some of the work load and allow experimentation with flavours from the botanical garden. Cleverly they have mounted Satisfaction on a mobile platform so she can be used at events, which really shows these guys are constantly thinking of new ways to promote their brand and flavours.
So finally Chris and I follow Tom to the Tack Room Bar to sample these delights having just had the full guided tour of distillery, gardens, blending room (above the distillery) and even the bee hives and spring. Tom assumes the
position of bar keeper and starts us off on the traditional Harrington Dry Gin (that has won the company three international awards), he pours from its stunning deep blue bottle, the label graphics look like an intricate tattoo with the patterns incorporating words and slogans, sitting behind the bold Warner Edwards logo and finished with a wax seal. The Harrington (named after the village) was their first born, with a rounded and complex palate its notes of cardamom and nutmeg give it a warm smooth flavour. Robust enough for a great Gin and Tonic, but smooth enough for a martini. We sampled it neat, but drank the Harrington over ice, a slice of orange and a premium tonic.
Next up is the award winning Elderflower, inspired by Toms mother Adéle this uses hand picked elderflower that is harvested once a year, making a fantastically smooth and refreshing G&T with a slice of lemon and a premium tonic water. The Harrington Sloe gin is a winner mixed with its warm spice and jammy plumb flavours, giving a dry finish with vanilla, cardamom and slightly tart fruit. Working really well with bitter lemon, ginger beer or even Prosecco.
The next one up was the game changer. Did I mention I liked gin? Well, this one was a total
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