Junipalooza 2018
You know when you get that “OMG it’s my birthday next week and I’m so excited” feeling…? That is the exact feeling that I had about Junipalooza – the gin event of all gin events. Over 60 brands were showcasing their gin and tonics with the makers of each brand telling their stories and adventures about how they create their little masterpieces.
The event also featured 4 experience rooms:
Copperhead - The Gibson Edition
They created a stylish, pop-up London bar where they served their trio of gins on a mini cocktail flight.
Warner Edwards - Live Distillation
Hosted by the ‘brains’ behind the brand – Tom. Warner Edwards were distilling a gin onsite specifically for this event.
Caorunn - Highland Bothy
Caorunn created a ‘copper Tree’ and you were invited to hand pick an apple from the display, which then detailed a cocktail that you could go get made at the bar.
Fever-Tree - Gin School
You were able to blend your own gin and pair it with your favourite Fever-Tree tonic water.
Aware of the time-frame of the event, we opted for the Warner Edwards live distillation and Fever-Tree’s Gin School.
Warner Edwards was first. We were greeted by Tom who handed us a gin and tonic and explained how the brand came about. The brand is 5 years, 6 months, and 3 days old (as per 9th June), which makes them one of the ‘oldest kids on the block’. Their distillery is located on his family-owned farm, and this is where they produce all six of the gins in their range. The one that stood out for me was Botanical Garden Melissa Gin – a tribute to his mother who passed away in 2016.
After this, Jeremy talked us through how gin is normally distilled, and the process of distilling used for the event’s live gin project. A few of the botanicals used in this gin are grapefruit, hibiscus, orange blossom, and ginger; these botanicals were all chosen based on Facebook users suggestions.
It’s pretty awesome knowing that only approximately 200 people will have a bottle of this gin, as only people who attended the experience were able to get a bottle! Not only did we get one of these amazing bottles of goodness, we also got the chance to personally label the bottle, write the date and our name, and then seal the bottle with wax by hand.
Fever-Tree’s Gin School was up next, and we were pretty excited to go back to school for this lesson! We were given background information on the brand and what they stood for. After this, we tried each of the tonic waters to decide our favourite and, based on that, we would then pick notes to use in our own gin creation. I opted for floral and citrus.
Super impressed by both experiences, I was gutted that we didn’t have time to do all four. I would definitely recommend to book for both sessions next year!
With my list of the gins that I had to try in my hand, we made our way to Number 1 on this list – Lone Wolf. Coming all the way from Aberdeen, Lone Wolf are actually partners with Brewdog and as perfectionists at heart, they did an impressive 197 trials to get the perfect gin. I think that they succeeded – it is pretty awesome! The bottle is sleek, and I love that they have an elastic band holding down the label. They also have their own tonic water and pre-made drink in a can.
Next was Four Pillars and I was excited to try Sherry Cask Gin, a beautiful gin with Spanish Amontillado Sherry. Perfect to drink neat or on the rocks, this gin is definitely on my list of gins to buy!
Hapusa Himalayan Dry Gin were in the newcomer section, and I instinctively wanted to try this gin. Reason number one was because I’m Indian and I’m always routing for all things Indian, and secondly, because its one of India’s first craft gins. Jay Dhawan was full of energy when he told us all about the gin that had only launched the day before.
A blend of Himalayan juniper, coriander, fresh turmeric, dried ginger, cardamom, dried mango, almonds, and gondhoraj lime, this gin truly is something else! I can’t even begin to compare it to anything else that I have tried. It’s 100% individual, and I had to have a bottle! I was a little gutted to find out I would have to place a pre-order to get my hands on a bottle… but in 6 weeks, this gin will be mine… all mine. I don’t think that I will be sharing it with anyone!
Unfortunately, the day didn’t seem quite long enough, and I wish that it could have been at least a hour or two longer. All in all, it was a brilliant event and I’m already excited for 2019!
So, until next time - Bottoms up!
Written by Meme Loves Gin
16th June 2018
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