Broken Heart Gin

Two pals with a shared passion for making spirits founded this company in New Zealand. They spent three years perfecting their gin concept before one of them passed away. The remaining friend launched this gin to honor his memory. Malt is included as a botanical, acknowledging genever's historical role in gin. This is an uncommon approach, using malt as an ingredient rather than the base grain. Hops and ginger are also present, referencing a historic hot drink made with ale and gin. Orange blossom, historically used to cover unpleasant odors, is another component. Italian juniper, lemon zest, coriander, angelica, and lavender complete the list of identified botanicals. The botanicals are steeped for three days in molasses-based alcohol, then distilled in a copper pot still. The distillation process takes about four hours. The resulting spirit is mixed with pure glacial water to 40% ABV (or 57% for the higher proof version), then filtered and bottled by hand. The use of water from the Southern Alps and locally grown lavender adds a New Zealand character and a contemporary twist to the botanical mix. That's the story behind this gin. I mixed it with Cucumber and Tonic and had it after another gin I liked better because of its oily grapefruit notes and higher alcohol content. I'd be interested in tasting this one neat sometime, but for now, it wasn't particularly memorable.