$120.00
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Steve Clarkson has been holding the david Franz Production side together for the last three vintages. Apart from being an absolute cracking good winemaker & all around magnificent human, Steve is a hopeless tragic for Gin. This is Steve's Baby... and it's as Top Shelf as Gin Gets!
3 drunken weeks with the Seppeltsfield Road Distillery Crew honing the blend, resulting in an aromatic tour-de-force of Juniper * Coriander * Angelica Root * Mountain Pepper * Gentian Root * Wild Olive Leaf * Licorice Root * Black Pepper * Kaffir Lime Leaf * Lime Zest * Orange Zest
Not a London Dry, nor a Navy Gin and not a Gin for ‘just’ a G & T.
Sip over ice. Use in a Martini with 1/3 Vermouth and at least 2 good green olives. A 1/3 Gin, 1/3 Tonic and 1/3 Soda makes the best G&T.
A note about Martinis - ‘1 Martini is not enough, 2 Martinis are too much’
Brilliantly Clear and Unsullied
The aroma of Juniper’s fresh resinous lift and Coriander’s spice drive the centre of this Gin
The citrus power comes from Kafir lime leaves and loads of lime and orange zest. Juniper and coriander were amped up to both compliment the citrus and give balance and texture. Wild Olive leaf is magic in stitching the sweet and bitter notes to give incredible length. The 3 roots Angelica, Gentian and Liquorice are the seasoning. The Mountain and Black Pepper provide a gentle warmth.
Ever since the Seppeltsfield Road Distillers kicked open their doors, we have been helping them out with the 'Grape Wrangling' part of their Shiraz and Semillon Gins. This association over the years, has led to a close friendship between the SRD and dF crew. When Steve Clarkson joined the david Franz family just before vintage 2022, I had no idea the man was an absolute gin tragic! Not is a bad way (the guy can afford his addiction) but in the most covetous and delicious way possible. After vintage 2023, an offhand comment led to 'all the pieces falling in place' and to Steve spending a heady 3 or so weeks (over a six month period) conceiving, trialing and honing his singular vision into the distillation par excellence that is "Steve Clarkson Hard Gin' Steve's brief to us was Dirty and stuffed full of more aromatics that the average Joe could conceive. Whilst we were aiming for Navy Strength, the resultant brew looked better at just a whisker under 57% - so we content ourselves with a very respectable 55% Hard Gin. The booze is big enough to carry Steve's bespoke selection or aromatic esters & fusel oils for a flavour bomb top shelf Gin. Enjoy!
