Beefeater lancerer ny ultra premium gin

Update: Læs min anmeldelse af Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve Oak Rested Gin

”Over there you see James Burrough’s [Beefeaters grundlægger, red.] original still from the 19th Century. It still work and we’re playing around with it at the moment, but we’re not quiet ready to show you guys yet. But it’s going to be amazing.” Sådan sagde Beefeaters Brand Ambassador, Tim Stones, under en rundvisning i Beefeaters destilleri i London i februar 2013, da vi passerede den lille destillator, still number 12, som James Burroughs anvendte til at lave gin for 150 år siden.

Nu har Beefeater løftet sløret for, hvad de gik rundt og eksperimenterede i destilleriets lokaler i Kennington. Forleden offentliggjorde Beefeater dens nye store satsning – Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve Oak Rested Gin. En håndlavet ultra premium gin lavet på James Burroughs gamle 268-liters kobberdestillator og modnet i særligt udvalgte egetræstønder, der tidligere har indeholdt den fransk aperitif vin, Lillet. Resultatet er en gylden og blød gin, der ligesom de fineste single malt whiskyer og tøndelagrede rom kan drikkes ren (neat).

Selvom Beefeater markedsfører Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve som “The gin for free thinkers” der vil redefinere gin-kategorien, er det langt fra den eneste tøndelagrede gin. Både den franske Citadelle Gin Reserve og den engelske Hayman’s 1850 Reserve Gin har i flere år produceret tøndelagret gin. Citadelle Gin Reserve lagres mellem 4-6 måneder og Hayman’s 1850 Reserve Gin lagres i 3-4 uger. Begge gin er fænomenale gins og derfor kan man i den grad se frem til Beefeaters eksperiment, når første batch rammer hylderne i juni. Ifølge den officielle pressemeddelelse lanceres Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve i første omgang det spanske, britiske og amerikanske marked.

Fakta om Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve Oak Rested Gin ifølge Chivas Brothers officielle pressemeddelelse:

• Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve will launch first in Spain in June 2013. It will then be rolled out into key markets globally, including the UK (late-June 2013) and the US (October 2013).
• Bottled at 43% ABV, Burrough’s Reserve is best served chilled and enjoyed neat without dilution.

Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve Tasting Notes:

• Colour:  Pale gold.
• Nose: Floral spice notes, vanilla.  Developing to soft juniper aromas.
• Palate: Soft, complex spice. Subtle citrus flavours lead to a distinctive juniper middle-taste, returning to gentle spice on the finish.

Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve Production Notes:

• The gin is made using one of James Burrough’s original copper stills dating back to the 1800s. The still has a capacity of only 268 litres.
• The Jean de Lillet casks are filled three times for a single batch of Burrough’s Reserve. The resting times vary across the batch: gin resting in first fill casks will remain for a series of weeks, whilst gin resting in third fill casks will be left longer to allow uniform extraction of flavour and character. This process is only complete when Desmond Payne determines that the gin is consistent with previous batches and ready for release.
• Burrough’s Reserve is small batch produced, yielding just 900 litres per batch.