Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/101724
BULLDOG London Dry Gin Tanqueray Malacca Gin Don't let BULLDOG's imposing black bottle with dog tags and studded collar fool you: It may look tough, but in fact, it's as gentle as a puppy. The key to BULLDOG's approachability is the mix of botanicals it uses including dragon eye (cousin of the lychee), white poppy and lotus leaves. While BULLDOG gin is a London dry–style gin, the juniper has been dialed back slightly and balances out with the other softer and sweeter botanicals. BULLDOG irmly positions itself as a premium gin. "The quality of the product and the exotic botanical makeup of the product are the cornerstone of BULLDOG," explains Daniel Udell, BULLDOG'S Global Brand Manager. To date, BULLDOG has largely only been available along the Eastern seaboard, but the company has plans to aggressively expand its distribution westward in 2013. Tanqueray Malacca Gin is a mythical beast. Originally released in 1997, this softer and sweeter expression of gin found a receptive audience, but not one large enough to sustain it. Discontinued in 2001, Malacca found a new life in the hands of "alcoholic archaeologists," including David Wondrich, who cited the gin as a stand-in for Old Tom Gin in his book Imbibe, and Bobby Heugel, who discovered old cases of the liquid treasure in back rooms of liquor stores. "It started to get a mythical status with bottles getting $200 or more on eBay," explains Angus Winchester, Tanqueray Global Brand Ambassador. The call for the gin from the craft cocktail community was so strong that Tanqueray has decided to bring it back in February 2013 for a limited run of 9,000 cases. Tanqueray Malacca Gin is a softer gin, released at 40% abv. More citrus-forward than Tanqueray London Dry, it's great on its own as a sipping gin, with tonic or in a Martinez or Hanky Panky. Diageo North America Fords Gin The Botanist Islay Dry Gin Simon Ford left his post as Brand Ambassador at Pernod Ricard and became a founding partner of The 86 Company. Fords Gin, one of the company's irst products, is a collaboration between Ford and eighth-generation Master Distiller Charles Maxwell . "The irst thing I wanted was a gin that really celebrates juniper," says Ford. "After years of hearing people say they didn't like the pine needle lavor, I wanted to create the gin that made people fall in love with juniper." California-distilled Fords Gin draws from many of the classic gin botanicals, with the addition of grapefruit peel and jasmine lower. "Half of the botanical proile is juniper, which is supported by sweet spices and plenty of citrus to take away the juniper bite," Ford explains, "and then we use jasmine to give dryness." Full-lavored with a strong structure, Fords Gin is clearly a mixing gin designed speciically for the bartending community. The stakes for Fords Gin couldn't be higher and early reception, especially among craft cocktail bartenders, has been extremely positive. The 86 Company/Domaine Charbay Distilleries Islay, Scotland, is best known for its whisky—an unlikely place for one of today's most buzzed-about premium gins. The Bruichladdich distillery and former owner Jim McEwan are used to the buzz, and the distillery has become well known for marching to the beat of its own drum. The Botanist is made from 22 wild native Islay botanicals "hand-picked by our expert foraging team from the windswept hills, peat bogs and Atlantic shores of this Hebridean island of Islay" and distilled in a unique Lomond Pot still, nicknamed "Ugly Betty." The botanicals for The Botanist include such oddball things as mugwort leaves, creeping thistle lowers and bog myrtle leaves. The taste is exceptional, with a symphony of lavor that manages to keep perfect harmony. Rémy Cointreau USA january 2013 / the tasting panel / 97