Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, 70cl

Product Information

It’s more interesting than your bog standard classic london dry, but it still feels like a ‘real gin’ unlike some other ‘gins’ I’ve tried that were one step away from feeling like flavored vodka. Then, vapor-infused botanicals go into the mix, and here’s where it gets weird: Chinese lemon, Oriental grapefruit, Kaffir lime, and gunpowder tea. From the doors of The Shed Distillery comes this Sardinian Citrus Ceramic expression of its Gunpowder Irish Gin.

We love the Drumshanbo gin bottle and think it looks a bit like an upturned art deco lampshade (if you squint a bit and imagine it naked, sans labels).Normally a martini man, I was forced to venture out due to lack of olive juice for some unknown reason. Every precious drop of Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin is slow-distilled by hand and proudly bottled, sealed, and labelled by the team in the distillery. Meadowsweet lends a delicate floral sweetness to the overall bouquet, complementing the green tea notes.

I’m not a fan of super citrusy gins, and prefer juniper and herbal flavors to stand out more than citrus, so this is really nice stuff. The gin:tonic ratio for the signature Drumshanbo gin and tonic serve is 40:140 which, by our reckoning, is a touch over triple the tonic to gin. Remember, gifts aren’t just for friends and loved ones, pick up a curious little something for yourself while you’re at it!It’s all quite unexpected, but the gin is never short of engaging — and I daresay it’s a versatile operator, too. Prince Albert of Monaco was among the first purchasers of the forthcoming “grand-cru Irish whiskey” currently maturing in Drumshanbo (we can only assume he has a whiskey-themed countdown calendar). Three kinds of citrus fruit: grapefruit, lemon and makrut lime join the tea and are vapor distilled. The gin, distilled with gunpowder tea, is joined by a touch of Sardinian citrus, for a zesty take on the original. Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin is a product of The Shed Distillery, a boutique operation in rural Ireland.

I’ve been using it mostly in Brambles, and Aviations with a touch of cherry juice added, and its now my favorite gin base for cocktails. The result is a gin that tastes uncommonly good thanks to an uncommon marquee ingredient, combines drinking traditions from cultures 5,000-plus miles apart, pays homage to a love story when two paths crossed in the local iron mines (see No. An Irish gin from made with juniper, angelica, orris, caraway, coriander, meadowsweet, cardamom and star anise as well as vapour infused oriental lemon and lime, fresh grapefruit and gunpowder tea!Rigney combines vapor distillation of fresh Chinese lemons, kaffir limes, and Oriental grapefruits, along with the intriguing gunpowder tea, with the pot-still distillation of eight other botanicals ranging from Chinese star anise to local Drumshanbo meadowsweet.