Tarquin's Handcrafted Cornish Gin: Delicate, Light & Beautifully Elaborate.

This week we’re back in the glorious realm of gin and have picked out a stunning British gem, Cornish to be precise, that will knock the socks off the most tightly laced foot. And this Old Blighty beauty is Tarquin’s Handcrafted Cornish Dry Gin. And if you’re after a British flag-flyer that delivers grace, poise and one hell of an explosion of violet-y pleasure, then this exquisite Cornish chap is right up your gin-laden street. So, let’s get stuck in and find out why there are so many better products to come out of Devon than clotted cream and a bloody pasty!

Having only just celebrated their second birthday (Happy Birthday guys!), this young whippersnapper of a gin is the boozy brainchild of South Western Distillery’s Tarquin Leadbetter. One-shot distilled in the luscious landscape of Cornwall in their copper pot stills Tamara, Senara and the latest edition to the family: Ferrara, this gin is one awesome botanical beauty. And going into that exotic mix is juniper, coriander seeds, seasonal zests of orange, lemon and grapefruit, angelica root, orris root, bitter almond, green cardamom seeds, cinnamon, liquorice roots and the crème de la crème of this gins botanicals; Devon violets from Tarquin’s very own home garden. And the water they use is Cornish too. They’ve even just won the gold award at the 2014 International Wine and Spirits Competition, and they’re only just two! Top stuff! Each batch is only 300 bottles or less and individually hand labelled and wax sealed, receiving that extraordinary amount of personal attention that makes this gin extra special. So, facts digested; let’s get to it.

As soon as you get your nose stuck in, the crisp freshness of this gin hits you square in the face with the viridity of an ocean breeze; it’s immensely captivating. Earthy juniper leads this elegant flavour march and next to please those gin-loving senses of yours are waves of green pine that add such a uniqueness to this gin, you wouldn’t be wrong in thinking you’d just landed in the New Forest for a bloody camping holiday! But these woody pine tones merge ever so gracefully with the whispers of citrus – lemon, mandarin and a slight touch of grapefruit – that are now openly making their way up that nose of yours with the pure aim of making your head erupt in sheer ecstasy! And that it does! But you’ll also find light hits of floral sweetness curling out of the glass too with a good shot of pepper following not far behind, balancing out this gin so wonderfully and giving your nose that amourous little prickle.

But this Cornish firecracker really shows you what it’s made of as soon as you get it down you. BAM! Your mouth simply explodes with such an insane, floral burst of Parma Violets; you’ll find yourself being whisked away to your childhood when you tried to consume as much of those Swizzle sweets as physically possible! And it is this majestic botanical addition that really set’s this juniper god aside from the rest; it’s such a charming flavour. But once again, it’s that freshness that knocks you clean off your bloody feet; it’s incredible, energetic almost. It’s literally like you were standing on a cliff edge, it’s utterly insane!

But next to sweep you off your boozy feet is earthy juniper, entwining so alluringly with bursts of nectarous orange and crisp, dry pine notes. Candied liquorice pops its head in soon after, delivering one amazing, syrupy sweetness that accentuates those punches of citrus and delivers a gin experience that you’d sell your own Mother for! The consistency is quite honeyed too and envelopes your whole mouth, making sure you can taste every decedent flavour. On the back foot you get a pummel of cinnamon heat and a subtle but peppery spice hit that makes you simply swoon over this gin like it was your first love. And the finish is long and smooth too, heavenly smooth even and it encases your throat with such a blissful warmth that we’re damn sure this would be one amazing cure for even the sorest of throats!

But what we love so much about this gin is it’s outstanding freshness. It offers such clarity and poise to such a complex gin that you can’t help but be in utter awe of it. And those Devon violets, man, they really give this gin that je ne sais quoi and bring such a floral delight to the botanical table. This is simply one delicate, light but beautifully elaborate gin that will have you head over heels in seconds. And we’ll bet you a ton that you’ll be running out your front door to buy a bottle quicker than if your bloody house was on fire! Home bar material if there ever was one; nice one Tarquin!

You can pick up a bottle here.