Ginout

Gin description

To create something unique is an exercise in vision and skill. To make a gin that was expressive, balanced and yet didn’t conform to any current template demands a different approach. And so our distiller Barney designed his own vision to unify these elements of Portugal. The sight of a forest was the starting point. Here, the high notes of conifer needles evoke the sun that touched the forest canopy. Aging with cork, roasted at different temperatures to highlight different elements of this vitally important tree, brings signs of smoke, vanilla, sun-heated wood and coconut. Peony flowers growing wild in Portugal sing, their floral notes high and delicate. Olive oil sourced from Catia’s home in the Algarve bring elements of herbaceous understory and beyond this a textural layering. The influence of tawny ports bring autumnal notes, rich and filled with wild berries. And at the forest floor we find the sweet, cocoa and humus rich fig leaves. And our Flor de Sal, with its own unique appellation in the Algarve, brings a minerality that makes the whole sparkle. This unification, a journey through some of Portugal’s most important habitats is both a beautifully complex whole as well as an evocation of memories from land and sea. It is an exercise in respect at a disregard for cost. These delicate plants are placed in great quantities inside our unique copper still, a combination of maceration and vapour extraction. Small in size, it maximises the cleansing contact with copper. Its’ gentle heating is completely powered by sustainably sourced power. Only nose and taste are trusted to judge the separations in the transitions from aggressive heads, through the expressive heart to the heavier tails. By working in this purely sensory way for Ginout we are able to preserve the entire spectrum of each of our botanicals with great elegance. And after distillation comes ageing. Spending time in old fortified portuguese wine casks of the finest vintages. Macerating corks toasted to different levels reveals a whole spectrum of inherent flavours. The integration of our flor de sal. Every step compliments the former. Every step makes Ginout more unique.