When you start to investigate the gins of the world it can get very confusing.
I’m planning a blind taste party and so I thought to get ready it would be a good idea to see what others think are the finest gin brands in the world.
Armed with that easy knowledge I should be able to track down half-a-dozen or so bottles of your non-standard gins and entertain my pals; or so I thought.
For a start, the bottles are as varied as the contents.
The range of what we might call “quality” gins — real gin, not chemically flavoured alcohol — is huge and the variety of botanicals and distilling processes overwhelming for a neophyte.
So I’m on the case.
A good place to start is a website called Gintime, it’s commercially sponsored, but sets out a history of gin, an explanation of the ingredients and plenty of gin-based cocktail recipes.
I’m looking for suggestions. If you are an aficionado of the humble spirit and have a favourite, drop a note.