The Aberturret Gin Review
This week, The Glenturret unveiled a new addition to its product portfolio: The Aberturret Gin. Philip Day provides an insight into the world of botanicals, the history of The Glenturret and concludes his feature with tasting notes.
The Aberturret Gin – made in Scotland
Crieff, March 2024 – The Glenturret, Scotland’s Oldest Working Distillery, is delighted to announce the creation of a small-batch gin, also distilled in Scotland: The Aberturret Gin, a fusion of heritage, tradition and an innovative approach to the origins of gin. It combines the time-honoured distilling techniques that The Glenturret is renowned for with 14 selected botanicals, enhanced in richness and complexity by The Glenturret New Make Spirit to create a unique London Dry Gin – adding a second spirits category to the brand.
The Aberturret Gin – botanicals
The Aberturret Gin is a hand-crafted gin reminiscent of the spirit discovered and enjoyed centuries ago. Botanicals include coriander, angelica, cloves, lemon, lime, cinnamon, grapefruit, licquorice root, pine, juniper and pink peppercorn; complemented by the three local botanicals chamomile, sumac and The Glenturret’s famous New Make Spirit, resulting in a well-balanced gin with a captivating complexity, perfectly suited for a signature Gin & Tonic, a traditional Martini or a classic Negroni.
Aberturret House
It is named after Aberturret House, formerly the Dower House of the Murray Clan, who founded The Glenturret distillery more than 260 years ago.
Spirits expert Peter Jauch, who worked on the recipe, commented
Working on the creation of The Aberturret Gin together with the Lalique and The Glenturret teams was pure joy! It was important to me to reflect on the rich history of The Glenturret – that’s why we developed a classic gin with a modern twist. You can smell juniper on the nose, surrounded by fresh, earthy notes.
On the palate, the juniper impresses with warming notes and ends with a slightly sweet kick of freshness. Overall, the gin is very smooth and, at 45%, perfect for all classic gin cocktails.”
Joel Harrison & Neil Ridley, authors of The World Atlas of Gin, commented
Social and cultural terroir is an important factor in gin-production; each gin should reflect the area in which it is rooted, and The Aberturret Gin builds-in an important aspect of it’s raison d’être in New Make Single Malt Spirit from the celebrated Glenturret Distillery which the gin calls its Highland home.
Gin is a complicated spirit to get right. A heart of juniper, with a balance of botanicals which weave into a cogent flavour, for a combination that is pleasing not just when sampled neat, but paired with tonic, mixed into a Martini, or as the essential base for a Negroni.
In The Aberturret Gin you find a balanced, unctuous and rounded, expressive palate of flavour that reflects not just the Highlands of Scotland, but the spirit within.”
The Aberturret Gin – Lalique bottle
The Aberturret Gin takes close inspiration from the distillery’s iconic whisky bottle and was designed by Claudio Denz, son of Lalique’s chairman Silvio Denz, and Marc Larminaux, Artistic and Creative Director at Lalique. In 2019, The Lalique Group, in collaboration with Swiss entrepreneur and philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss, successfully acquired The Glenturret.
Renowned for his dedication to history and nature, Mr. Wyss, who already possessed a vineyard in California, found a new avenue to explore his passion in Scotland’s Oldest Distillery. The acquisition not only deepened his connection to the whisky and spirits industry but also inspired the logical progression of incorporating The Aberturret Gin into the portfolio.
With the stunning bottle, Claudio and Marc give a nod to Lalique’s celebrated Art Deco creations from the roaring 20’s, a time when gin was one of the most popular spirits. It features a beautiful, deep green colour which showcases the stunning Highland scenery around the distillery, as well as the deep green of the Clan Murray Tartan.
Silvio Denz, Chairman of the Lalique Group, commented
With The Glenturret, we acquired the hard-won wisdom of generations of distillers, and embraced the imagination of our craftsmen and contemporary masters. The Aberturret Gin is a new venture for us and we wanted something that was linked to our long distilling heritage and prowess that was modern and innovative at the same time. Our desire was to create an elegant Scottish gin – we feel we have achieved exactly that.”
The Aberturret Gin is available online now at www.theaberturretgin.com for RRP £45.00 (as of 27.3.2024).
The Aberturret Gin – tasting notes
Nose: Juniper is very much to the fore, with citrus notes of lime peel and grapefruit adding zesty overtones, underpinned by a clean minerality which allows the aroma to flourish. A hint of lightly toasted marshmallow adds an inviting layer.
Palate: The first impression is a smooth and creamy note where the maltiness of the new make and the juniper work together, uplifting the brighter notes of lemon, lime and grapefruit citrus zests. These flavours are followed by notes of pine, backed with spicy pink peppercorn and a hint of earthy sweetness from sumac. The journey is completed with a prickle of lemon sherbet on the finish, enlivening and energising the palate, with a wisp of sweet licquorice to compliment the citrus zests.
45% ABV
References
Press release and images provided by Simon+Simon Communications