Dyani Van Basten Batenburg
Gin Want More
It’s time to be ‘gin’ all over again “
The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmen’s lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire.” – Winston Churchill
The gin bottle has well and truly shaken off the dust and ditched grandma’s cupboard. This movement from musty spirit to top dog has been felt the world over – and the pace at which gin has reinvented itself has been one of the most dramatic. According to data from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, “this much-hyped gin renaissance is not simply journalistic hyperbole”. The UK has a longstanding barometer of gin trends, its total gin consumption was over 6million nine-litre cases in 2018. “That figure is expected to rise to over 10million cases by 2023,” forecasts IWSR. “And, total global gin consumption is expected to rise 4.4% during the period 2018 – 2023.”
Come together The emergence of the craft gin movement has many of us pausing longer at the shelf, not just intent on picking out a pretty label, but one that dually combines a masterstroke of botanical balance and an authentic brand story. “Globally the gin market is everinnovating – pink gin is no longer ‘niche’ – the spirits sector in general is diversifying rapidly to stay provenant. Gin makers are using local ingredients to deliver their own spin, and weave it into their story, doing it all sustainably – it’s a dynamic category to be in,” says Tony Burt of East Imperial, purveyors of premium mixers. “Tonics have followed suit because people are no longer looking for something to ‘mix in’. They want a mixer that balances flavour, heightens the botanicals, or compliments the citrus notes.” Gert Taljaard of Clemengold Gin agrees it’s that balancing act we’re
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honing. “If you take a really top quality gin, such as Clemengold, and a really good quality mixer like East Imperial’s grapefruit soda, it’s really hard to get it wrong because you’re buying it right on both sides,” he explains. “You’re buying a really well crafted, carefully distilled gin with some amazing botanicals, and you’re adding in a smooth, herbaceous mixer that’s going to unlock
