Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/537687
102 / the tasting panel / july 2015 CATEGORY REPORT Sloe Sipping with Sipsmith Artisanal is a word thrown around pretty casually lately, but it seems few products these days actually embody the craft of traditional manufacturing. Sipsmith Gin, however, wholly embraces it with its small-batch traditional gin production. Based in London, Sipsmith uses three copper stills—Prudence, Patience and Constance—and has the honor of being the first copper distillery to launch in London in almost 200 years. Their classic London Dry Gin forms the base of Sipsmith Sloe Gin, which is made with sloe berries hand-picked from wild hedgerows in England. While sloe berries, also known as blackthorn, do grow in other countries, the berries are a distinct part of England's heritage. While the berries might taste bitter and tart when eaten, if they are picked in late harvest they can be used to create wonderful spirits, sloe gin being chief among them. Sipsmith's Sloe Gin rests for four to eight months, and is then blended to taste using Master Distiller Jared Brown's recipe. Sloe Gin is an excellent sipped liqueur, but it's versatile in cocktails as well, complementing Campari in a Negroni or topped with Champagne in a variation on a Kir Royale. It's a classic spirit from a company that believes in classic distillation. Sloe Sipping with Sipsmith Sipsmith Sloe Sipping with Sipsmith Sloe Sipping with Sloe Sipping with Artisanal is a word thrown around pretty casually lately, but it seems few products these days actually embody the craft of traditional manufacturing. embraces it with its small-batch traditional gin production. Based in London, Sipsmith uses three copper stills—Prudence, Patience and Constance—and has the honor of being the first copper distillery to launch in London in almost 200 years. Their classic London Dry Gin forms the base of Sipsmith Sloe Gin, which is made with sloe berries hand-picked from wild hedgerows in England. While sloe berries, also known as blackthorn, do grow in other countries, the berries are a distinct part of England's heritage. While the berries might taste bitter and tart when eaten, if they are picked in late harvest they can be used to create wonderful spirits, sloe gin being chief among them. Sipsmith's Sloe Gin rests for four to eight months, and is then blended to taste using Master Distiller Jared Brown's recipe. Sloe Gin is an excellent sipped liqueur, but it's versatile in cocktails as well, complementing Campari in a Negroni or topped with Champagne in a variation on a Kir Royale. It's a classic spirit from a company that believes in classic distillation. Tasting Notes Sipsmith 2013 Special Edition Autumn Harvest Slow Gin If you've never experienced the aromas of wild handpicked sloe berries from England, the introduction from this superb spirit will make a lasting impression. The nose is arresting and tart, a stolen second from a warm berry pie cool- ing out of the oven. The silken textural essence on the palate is drawn long through to the finish, with cranberry tails and spiced nutmeg trails. —M. M. Tasting Notes Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao Deep, intense aromas of jasmine tea, orange peel and honeyed lemon stir the senses. The palate is rich with honeyed peach-orange, a combination of exotic spices, a touch of salinity and a deliriously sensual texture.—M. M. Mathilde Cassis "Original" Liqueur A deep well of perfumed blueberries, black raspberry and musky aromas of earth and sun are elabo- rately developed. The flavors from the scents come forth on the palate, with an added touch of lavender and a black currant smooth finish. —M. M. Focused on the Fruit PIERRE FERRAND DRY CURAÇAO AND MATHILDE LIQUEURS BRING FRUIT TO THE FOREFRONT Classic cocktails need classic liqueurs, and Maison Ferrand's Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao and Mathilde Liqueurs will never go out of style. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao (40% ABV) may be a new product on the market, but its roots are in a 19th-century recipe, made from the peels of Laraha oranges blended with Pierre Ferrand Cognac. Like sloe berries, Laraha oranges from the island of Curaçao are grown wild and are too bitter to eat; however, the dried peels are fragrant and fantastic when made into a liqueur. Guillaume Lamy, Vice President of Maison Ferrand, The Americas, remarks, "All in all, it takes about a year-and-a-half to make the Dry Curaçao. We mix the orange peels with 14 spices and sugar, a process similar to adding botanicals to gin, then steeped in new brandy and redistilled. The mixture is blended with Cognac and aged six months in oak casks." Mathilde Fruit Liqueurs are all natural, come in four flavors—Poire (pear, 18% ABV), Cassis (black currant, 16% ABV), Framboise (raspberry, 18% ABV) and Peche (peach, 18% ABV)—and are the product of a 100-year-old French recipe. Lamy cites the Mathilde Cassis as a cornerstone in the portfolio: "We source our black currants from two regions in France: Burgundy and Saintonge. We add a little bit of raspberry to enhance the cassis flavors. It is not a crème liqueur, but rather an infused liqueur." All of the other fruits came from various regions of France, and are steeped without preservatives or stabilizers, then bottled with cane sugar that balances out the fruit's sharpness.