A recent poll on my twitter account has ‘Spicy Gin’ as being the notes that my followers prefer most, so here is a gin that just for them.
Cuckoo Gin are another Gin producer located not far from Manchester, in the small village of Brindle near Preston. An old village story talks of how the first Cuckoo call of spring would bring about the start of a good harvest, so important was this belief, it even turned into a workers day off in the middle ages. According to local folklore, the villagers hatched a plan to build a high fence to capture a cuckoo in a field, thus ensuring that the summer would continue in the village, unfortunately the fence was not high enough and the cuckoo fled. To this day, anyone born in the village is still referred to as a Brindle Cuckoo. As this Gin is most certainly born in Brindle, it was also given the traditional name of a Cuckoo.
So what better time to be reviewing this Gin for Gin of the Month, than in Spring.
Cuckoo is produced by a family run distillery, who actually produce some of their own base spirit from grain that they grow on their own farmland, the used spelt grain and used botanicals are then reused in feed for the animals on the farm. The spirit that they produce is then turned it onto one of their three slightly different Gins. The selection consisted of their Original, Sunshine (Which includes Honey and Raspberries in the distillation) and a Spiced Gin. It is the later that I opted for the Gin of the Month.
The Spiced Gin from Cuckoo includes some of my favourite botanical’s, including Clove, Ginger, Fennel, Cinnamon and Lemongrass, as well as good spice hit from my old kitchen friend, Tellicherry Black Pepper (Considered to be one of the finest peppers in the world) – these combine well to give a great warmth.
The flavour journey doesn’t end there however, as following up these warm and spicy elements are the sweet and floral notes of Jasmine, Fig and Rose hips.
Strong on the nose are the aromas of vanilla, almond and the woody spicyness of cinnamon, these aromas come through from the tonka beans that are also added.
This is a Gin that is great poured over ice and sipped. Alternatively it works really well as a long G&T. I sat and enjoyed just such a drink on the first day of Summer Time, enjoying the spring flowers and the birds singing – just as a Brindle Cuckoo would have wished.
Cuckoo Gin is available to buy in 200ml or 700ml bottles direct from their website here.
For those really interested to find out more, they also host tours and workshops, which can be viewed and booked here.
If you want to win your own bottle of Cuckoo Spiced Gin – head over to my twitter here for details of how to win.
Disclaimer
Cuckoo Gin was sent to me complimentary to try and review. The reviews on this site are all my own personal opinions and are honest and true. No input or say is given to the brands or their representatives.
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