Blood Monkey Irish Craft Gin 70cl

Product Information

Anora Group also won Gold for its Explorer Gin Organic, found to be “unmistakably gin and inviting on the nose – nice texture and a citrusy palate”. Five Silvers were also awarded in the Organic round. Just to assure you, the name “Blood Monkey” is inspired by the practice of “bleeding the monkey,” which was a term used by sailors in the 17th century to describe when they would surreptitiously drill into an officers’ barrel to steal the spirit inside. What is Blood Monkey Gin. The following flight – Cask-Aged – presented a selection of gins that had been rested in barrels after distillation. Two Master-worthy gins were noted in this round, the first of which was Hernö Juniper Cask Gin. The gin was celebrated for its “aquavit-like nose” and “well-integrated, long finish”. Grand Crew Cask-Aged Irish Gin also won a Master award for being “still recognisable as gin”, with “slight hints of oak and vanilla to add complexity”. Isn’t it great to see small Irish Artisan companies and their brands thriving in Ireland today. We believe this is one of our most beautiful gin boxes to date, and the flavours and ingredients are of the highest standards too.

Gin production began in November 2012, using water drawn from a well 240ft below the distillery in Dingle, Co Kerry. The first whiskey casks were filled a month later. Dingle now produces a range of whiskies, including some sought-after once-off small batch releases, and a vodka. The gin has become one of our favourites, widely available in pubs and off-licences throughout the country. In 2019 it won the prestigious World’s Best Gin at the World Gin Awards. The botanicals used include rowan berry from the mountain ash trees, fuchsia, bog myrtle, hawthorn and heather. Distillery tours have been suspended due to Covid but will recommence as soon as conditions permit. Produced in Somerset, the homeland of British cider making, Showerings is an ‘elegantly dry, gently carbonated and deeply cultured cider that has been created using techniques requiring as much experience and attention-to-detail as those used in the creation of fine wines’ A trio of Silver medallists – Gargano Sloe Gin, Plymouth Sloe Gin, and Bareksten Sloe Gin – completed the round. While the judges enjoyed the selection of medal winners, they yearned for bolder flavours. Blood Monkey and Two Shores are both high quality, innovative brands, just the kind of drinks that we love to see in our portfolio. We're looking forward to introducing these to our customers across the whole of mainland UK over the coming months."Perrett said: “They were really good, delivering more intense flavours, better integration, although some needed work on the integration of the alcohol. They brought more heightened complexity. Something that punches doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good – for the price you’re paying you have to show a level of refinement.” Downes noted: “There was a lovely array of styles and flavours put forward into this category; lots of room to experiment, and it feels as though distillers are making the most of it.” The flavours are precise and clean. “It is all about doing it simply, but well. This has a second distillation with Seville oranges and cardamom seed. It brings nice warming notes that you want in winter. It will probably become seasonal,” he says. Complimentary ingredients Phil Harding, bbb founder, added: “This partnership has been in the pipeline for a while, so I'm very happy that we have managed to align ourselves and come to a long-term agreement. Blood Monkey Irish Gin features botanicals including citrus peel, lime leaves, rosemary and Szechuan pepper, offering a warming citrus spice to the spirit alongside caramel notes reminiscent of whiskey from its malt base. The ‘robust’ flavours make the gin stand up in a classic G&T. Blood Monkey Spice Storm is double distilled

Overall, the judges were full of praise for the standard of gins presented in the first instalment of this year’s competition. Experimentation was well received, and Founded in 2020, the two expressions in Blood Monkey’s portfolio are both genever styles of gin, distilled in Cork, Ireland, using a malted grain base with Irish barley. Joining Nicola Carruthers, deputy editor of The Spirits Business, and chair of her panel, were: Christine Perrett, drinks photographer at A Twist of Citrus and co-founder of The Spirits Hub; and drinks consultant Stephen Kennard. Bernadette Pamplin, freelance drinks writer and founder of the Under the Ginfluence blog, chaired a panel consisting of: Sara Jane Eichler, founder of the Negroni Club UK; and Millie Milliken, freelance journalist. The Showering Family has been perfecting their cider making skills for over 170 years, and to create a Triple Vintage blend we even pioneered a special cool fermentation process - a slow-moving maturation that uses both wild and house yeasts to turn the apples’ natural sugars into alcohol to create complex flavours.”Pink Gin has been an increasingly popular category over recent years, and there was one gin in particular that stood out from the rest in this year’s tasting: Filey Pink Gin. The judges enjoyed the Master medallist for its “coriander leaf, mint” aromas, leading to an “open, flavourful palate, well-balanced herbs and red fruits – refreshing”. This was one of the largest sections in the blind tasting, and delivered a high number of top medals. Nine Master medals were awarded in the Flavoured Gin flight. Stillgarden offers a range of gift boxes as well as three gins, several vodkas, their own tonic water and various other drinks, available for nationwide delivery, next-day Dublin delivery and collection from Stillgarden’s distillery shop in Dublin 8.

Preparation: Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with rosemary and candied ginger. Athavia’s team agreed. She said: “There were some good London Dry examples, a couple that were not very London Dry style but unique and individual in their own right. There was some very good distillation here with clarity of flavours. All of them were very well made.” Gin is typically made by distilling a neutral grain alcohol with juniper berries and a range of botanicals. The botanicals used are often “secret” to each gin maker, as the slightest shift in spice or florals can have a significant effect on the flavour of the gin, but the majority of British gins use juniper, coriander and angelica. Showerings Triple Vintage is naturally golden in colour with distinctive bittersweet flavours complemented by notes of hazelnut, cedarwood, red apple and apricot. It combines the character and complexities of the best wines with cider’s unique ability to refresh and re-invigorate, adds the company.Over 90% of mass market brands offer only dry-style gins. These tend to focus solely on botanicals and serve with a simple tonic. Blood Monkey intends to interrupt the category by creating a fundamentally different offer, rooted in both liquid history and fresh insight.” Collaborating with local sea foragers, land foragers, chefs and fishermen, Skellig Six18 selected a range of local botanicals that include birch sap, fresh Douglas fir needles, yarrow and a pinch of dillisk foraged from nearby Derrynane beach. The botanicals are distilled separately to gently extract the flavours and then blended prior to bottling.

There was also no shortage of Silver medallists in the London Dry category, with 29 Silver awards given, including to Brighton Pavilion Strength, Boomsma Dry Gin, Gibson’s London Dry Gin, and Malfy Originale. Milliken was very impressed by the standard of entries in the Navy Strength flight. “There were a couple of standouts there, especially the aged ones. Despite the navy strength, I found these very easy to drink. I did add water to them, not because I needed to, but to see how they worked – and they worked either way.” The penultimate flight of the day was Sloe Gin, and a solid set of three Gold-worthy entries made for a happy group of judges. Gin Lane 1751 Sloe won a Gold medal for being “sweet, jammy”, and Downpour – Sloe & Bramble bagged Gold for being “fruity, full of flavour and very sippable”. Erste Maennerhobby’s Sloe Gin gained a Gold medal for its “classic sloe profile, and hint of sharpness on the finish”. Derek Millar, retired whisky sales advisor, joined Nicola Thomson, director of Practical Matters, who chaired the team.

The brand name and signature drill bit design are a nod to the act of ‘bleeding the monkey’, when sailors drilled into the officers’ barrel of grog to steal the liquor inside.