5 minute read
Harvesting the Flavours of Miraval: The Gardener Gin’s Tom Nichol
Tom Nichol isn’t your typical ‘celebrity’ distiller. The man that crafted Tanqueray 10 for Diageo, considered by many as ‘the’ or ‘one of the’ greatest gin ever made lives an unassuming life of a retiree in Scotland. The down-to-earth Nichol is almost dismissive of his success saying he has yet to craft a gin he is entirely happy with.
When Matthieu Perrin, of Famille Perrin called about a potential project, he thought it would be impolite not to at least reply. He admits that he is very inquisitive by nature so the idea of working with a chateau in Southern France sounded a little intriguing and it (Southern France) didn’t seem like too far to travel.
As for the first call with Perrin, Nichol says it’s an important one as he wants to judge the character of the person on the other end of the phone. According to Nichol “who I work with is the most important criteria when deciding to take on a job.” After all Nichol doesn’t need to work with anyone. He is happy to be retired after years working with beverage behemoth Diageo. As such he is very selective about the projects he works on. Of his first call with Perrin, Nichol says “once I start talking with someone I almost immediately decide if I want to work with them. I must be inspired by the people I work with, and if I don’t like them then I won’t work with them. That’s the bottom line. I don’t need to work with anyone, but I liked him (Matthieu Perrin) a lot.”
Perrin had earned Nichol’s respect, but would Perrin agree to his terms. Nichol says he isn’t a businessman. Towards the end of those initial conversations, he advises potential clients, including Perrin, of his terms, with a take it or leave it attitude. “They usually say ‘okay I will get back to you.’ I generally don’t expect to hear back but when they do (as Perrin did) there’s a moment when reality sets in.”
At this point, Nichol was still unaware of the Brad Pitt connection. It wasn’t until he confirmed his decision, that he heard of the actor’s involvement. Nichol says “I had no idea he was involved at all. It wasn’t until after I'd said I would do the project which in this case was during a phone meeting I was running late for.
As I recall I had to take the call in my car as I was stuck in traffic. After I agreed to take on the project Matthieu asked me if I would mind if my signature was on the bottle. I said ‘sure’. Then he said told me it will my signature alongside his own and Brad Pitt.” It was only then Nichol realised the Oscar-winning actor was part of the project. “To be honest it didn’t really matter at all, but once I knew Brad Pitt was involved, I did get back to them and say ‘did you really need me?’. To be honest, If you have Brad Pitt on a bottle you can put anything in there and it will sell.” Thankfully for Nichol, they wanted quality inside the bottle, which according to Nichol isn’t always the case with celebrity brands, some of which he describes as ‘horrendous.’
Nichol had started to formulate an image of the gin based on the original input from Perrin and his team, but a trip to Château Miraval, Pitt’s southern French estate where he produces wine, in partnership with Famille Perrin, and olive oil, solidified the deal. Once he was there, the picture became that much clearer. Of course, his partners had some requests, in terms of the botanicals and herbs they wanted in the blend. Nichol would get numerous packages sent to him with different potential ingredients. Of the process Nichol says “it took a long time (with a lot of test micro-distillations), before getting to a point where I said I would include this or that. They (Famille Perrin) were very good about the process. They essentially let me do what was needed to achieve balance in the final recipe and flavour profile.”
Nichol describes the gin as having a significant citrus component and a taste of Southern France, even of Château Miraval itself. Of the final product, he wanted it to have a welcoming Mediterranean spirit about it. According to Nichol “it had to be something enjoyable, that could be enjoyed on its own, and designed not just for rich people to enjoy on their yachts.” As for how to serve it. While Nichol suggests bartenders can enhance the gin through cocktail creation, the gin has also been designed to be drunk on its own, as well. In fact, it’s the only way Nichol drinks it.
