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Welcome

• Hello and Welcome to Episode 24

Christmas

• Please support your local distilleries for Christmas. Would it not be nice to buy a little gift.
• There are so many distilleries to choose from.
• Maybe you also want to get into the Christmas spirits
• What about The Edge Gin Mulled Pear ?
• Or the Pitwheel Distillery oak aged Orange and Ginger ?

The Botanical Trading Company

• It was really nice to talk to Brit last week about her new subscription service
• I really love the fact that she uses shipping packaging which is 100% recyclable and biodegradeable
• I also love the fairness and the trade with the distiller who gets showcased for a month as well as getting a fair trade price for their gin
• So much so that I have decided that I can’t justify two gin subscriptions and that based on the environmental impact and the fairness to the distiller I am stopping my craft gin club membership and moving to The Botanical Trading Company

The Gin To My Tonic

• With so many Christmas markets cancelled the Gin To My Tonic are having a virtual GinMas on 4-6th December
• Go to https://thegintomytonic.com/shop/virtual-christmas-market/ to find out more
• It cost £10.00 or if you order GinMas 5cl samples then you can get admission free.

Review

• Reviews really help the podcast in a given podcast directory. So if you did have a chance to review the podcast I would be most grateful

Weekly Gin Recommendation

Massingberd Mundy - Marie Jeanne

• Their second gin is named after Marie-Jeanne Rapigeon of Versailles.
• She was bold, beautiful and brought Parisian elegence to the Lincolnshire Wolds.
• So I was slightly concerned that I had been gifted a gin which had to live up to the reputation of 400 years of the Massingberd-Mundy estate, be as good as Burrell’s gin and resonate a bit of Parisien glamour.
• Nose - the nose has a freshness to it and an undertone of berries and an earthy aroma, which I have to admit I asked Tristan to help me with, it was the Cassia Bark and the Orris Root.
• The flavour profile is stunning. It starts with a juniper dryness then builds to a fruity sweetness before the heat of the alcohol takes over then a burst of the berries and then fades to a similar juniper dryness again. The after taste is dry but still with the berry undertones.
• Add tonic to it and it becomes even more alive. The tonic seems to accentuate the berry taste. Like the Burrell’s there is definitely a dry finish but the berry element is where it really stands out for me.
• I used a Mediterranean tonic but this would work with any light tonic standard or Elderflower.
• This is great as dry martini especially with a bit of Starlino Rosso Vermouth
• I think this would be great in cocktails especially those that are berry based or Prosecco based !!! I would steer clear of other bold flavours though unless they support the existing botanicals.
• If I had to choose between Marie-Jeanne and Burrells this would be my choice.

Luna and Alexander from LAW Gin

Ibiza

• Ibiza is very special. Has a special energy
• All the owners of LAW gin are hooked on Ibiza
• Everyone falls in love with something on Ibiza. It might be the music, it might be the landscape.
• If you come to Ibiza you can be whatever you dream of does not matter who you are but there is one rule or unwritten law you must tolerate everyone else. Everyone has this right.
• This spirit of the island still exists

How did everyone end up on Ibiza ?

• None of them wanted to the island apart from Dirk
• Dirk came first on to the island in 1981 as a tourist
• Luna came to the island in 1990 as a tourist 
• Alexander arrived in 1999 as a director of a television crew
• Luna and Alexander stayed in the same hotel and they eventually got married in Ibiza and moved permanently in 2006
• Wolfgang came with a partner in 2001.
• All fell in love with the island

What influenced the flavours in LAW gin ?

• It should be Ibiza, Ibiza, Ibiza
• Wanted to get lemons, oranges and prickly pear
• Also tried wood and almonds but they did not work
• First trials were very bad
• Venetian juniper grows on Ibiza. Thought going to be base of gin. It is a bit soapy. Still use it but with classic juniper
• The gin was initially produced for four friends so produced for their favourite flavours 
• Also because it was a personal project they wanted to use the best of the best
• Did not think about commercial side of things. If they did they would not use prickly pears !!
• Huge lemons the size of a childs head. Use fresh peel in the gin
• Also use Pimento de Padron but the peppers come from Padron on the mainland.
• They wanted to use because Pimento de Padron is served as tapas with olive oil and salt
• Met twice a week

German Distributor

• One of the serves of the LAW gin and tonic is to half the pimento de patron and add this as a garnish with some lemon
• About 1 out 10 of these peppers is really spicy
• The German distributor they were selling to happened to get the spicy one !!!
• They call this the Spanish roulette. 
• Luna congratulated him and said you are now the pirate
• He was very proud to be the pirate and ever since then this serving has been called the pirate
• He is still their distributor

Bottle

• Distinctive glass lid and place for your thumb
• Label took nearly as long as developing the gin
• Gin is quite modern but is distilled in a very traditional way
• Label is the link between traditional and modern
• Classic pharmacy bottle and the label has a modern typeface with the traditional flowers
• Has a place for the thumb which looks like a mountain which is like the magic rock 10 km of the Ibiza coast called Es Vedra. The label is divided into two so you can see this. It also creates a purple hue like magic
• The neck of the bottle tapers out so it is easy to pour with.
• Secret ingredient on the label but the last one is hidden. Amor - love. Not allowed to put on the bottle because it is not a physical ingredient

Perfect Serves

• Try it neat. Wanted to have a gin you could have neat
• Wanted to make sure that the nose is not like other gins and gives you the smell of Ibiza
• Wanted to get the locals to accept the gin
• Old farmer tried their gin and it brought so many memories.
• They have won several awards but the older farmers comments were the best award
• El Classico server with four juniper berries slightly squeezed and lime
• 5cl of LAW gin and premium tonic in a Copa glass full of ice
• Bikini 4cl LAW Gin slim or light tonic, four halved raspberries and 3 - 4 basil leaves. Clap the basil to get the aroma
• Very playful gin
• Ben would like to try with a dirty martini

Where do you distill the gin ?

• Had to go to industrial area for licence
• First distillery to get a licence in 80 years
• Took 2 years to get licence
• Had 2 years to work out how to commercialise the gin
• Distill in an Alembic still which originated from a Moorish design from the middle ages
• They are medieval instruments. No meters on it to work out pressure etc
• Wanted to do this because it is traditional
• Bought a 50 litre Alembic still called Alma (Spanish word for soul)
• Realised too small and no still commercially produced
• Found a winery on the mainland that showed them how to use the Alembic
• Seal with wood ashes and mix with water and seal the top
• Have to use all your senses to work out how to adjust the recipe on the fly to make sure tastes the same
• All the botanicals come out like pearls on a string. The citrus notes come first. Always lemon and then orange followed by the other botanicals.
• Have to rebuild recipes each time.
• Adjust the heat to influence the aroma
• Had blacksmith build an Alembic 250 litre still. Called Bertha
• Half a year later too small. Blacksmith made another. This is 650 litres but ordered 750 litres but handmade. This is Clara
• Now have 1000 litre still but not used as arrived about the same time as Covid

How did LAW gin come about ?

• Two meanings
• LAW Luna, Alexander and Wolfgang
• Also represents the LAW of Ibiza i.e. the law of tolerance
• Good link to the island
• How would you describe the brand ?
• Feeling that you create in the people that consume your product
• Expression of love of Ibiza and the love of gin
• Tolerance from the island
• Enjoyment high quality product
• Not just commercial it is Ibiza, law of tolerance and all the founders rolled into one.

Botanicals

• Venetian juniper and classic juniper
• Lemon and oranges
• Prickly pears are very difficult to harvest.
• Pimento de padron - peppers
• Spanish cucumber
• Sea salt for sea breeze in the bottle
• Coriander
• Cardomen pods
• Orris root
• St Raphael water
• Amor (love)
• How have you coped with Covid
• Tough times
• Hand crafted, small craft gin. Selling to restaurant and tourists
• Also export to Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland but they are having the same issues
• Trying to be creative

Currently you are not distributed in the UK but what would you say to a UK distributer ?

• LAW gin is different.
• Inherited marketing story
• Gin of Ibiza is a link for everyone
• LAW is not a gin it is a lifestyle
• Pure bottled sunshine
• Authentic story
• Picture of what they think of Ibiza when they taste the gin

What’s next for LAW ?

• No new flavours
• Aged gin in sherry barrels
• Would like to make liqueurs potentially like Pernod etc

Get in touch

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Web

What is your favourite gin other than your own and how would you serve it ?

• English gin Martin Miller. Alex met Martin Miller before he died. Important to put in the ice with dirty hands
• German gin Berlin Brandstifter
• Spanish gin LAW !!

What does gin mean to you ?

• Life
• Do everything yourself such as social media
• Luna has to a business person which in Spain is quite challenging
• Favourite spirit is gin
• Alex dreamed to have his own gin and tonic room when he grew up and now he has his own gin company
• Gin is so different and there are so many brands out there and so many varieties

Instagram Community Shout Out @ginderella2020

• Natalie - amateur gin lover, professional gin aholic in Essex. Taking over the world one gin at a time
• Like your post on York gin and the picking out of the cat branding for your love of cats and to start off halloween
• I like your post on Masons Dry Yorkshire Gin Steve’s Apple edition. Love the pairing with @waltergregors Scottish raspberry tonic. That sounds divine
• Love your post with Whitby The Demeter Edition gin which came with October’s craft gin box. Thought the presentation was really nice. Like the pumpkin and your inclusion of the calendar.
• You definitely have penchants for the Scottish gin. Loved you Happy International Scottish gin days post. Always nice to see a lot gin that I have either not seen or kind of heard of.
• Also like the eleven hour gin post. It is nice to see that £3 goes to the British legion. The gin sounds very interesting as well with ginger, lemon and poppy seeds.
• Thank you very much for supporting ginignite and the podcast and I will be including you in my stories all week.

Get In Contact

• IM me at @ginignite Instagram or @ginignite on Twitter
• E-Mail me at [email protected]
• If you have ideas IM me or e-mail at [email protected]
• If you want to be on the show then IM me or e-mail me at [email protected]

Final Thought

• The thing that I like about the gin community that I have met so far is that no one judges anyone for what they believe, what they look like or who they choose to be.
• The world would be a better place if everyone took that view.
• Grab your drink, toast those you love, enjoy your weekend and whether your decide to party or stay in I will be with you in spirit !!!
• Seriously though enjoy your weekend and I look forward to joining you for another episode next Friday.
• Cheers