Our fascination with juniper berries and gin goes back many years. From steeping juniper berries in wine for medicinal purposes in ancient Greece, to 11th century Italian monks extolling the health benefits of juniper and alcohol, to the 'Mother's Ruin' of London's gin excesses in the 18th century, the early history of the spirit is peppered with milestone moments.
Yet modern gin's progenitor is not so well known in the UK. In the 16th century, the Dutch were producing a spirit called 'Genever'. It was made with juniper berries and herbs to mask the unpleasant flavour of the malt wine distillate it was based on and typically aged in casks. It arrived in this country in the 17th century via Irish and English sailors, when the recipe was adapted to make the drink more palatable. It is from this recipe that the London Dry Gin style was born.
One modern gin, new to the UK, that harks back to these origins, is Blood Monkey from Dublin-based Outcast Brands. Unlike the vast majority of dry or flavoured gins that use neutral grain spirit, Blood Monkey has a 100% Irish malted barley spirit base.
The name 'Blood Monkey' comes from a derogatory naval term for a seafarer or merchant who used to drill into the officers' barrel of grog to steal the liquor inside - hence the brand's icon being a brass drill bit.
Blood Monkey Irish Craft Gin brings a new taste profile to gin lovers. It's a versatile style that drinks like a white or unaged whiskey and is made to be enjoyed neat or over ice, giving it a unique serve. It also pairs really well with a premium bitter orange tonic and adds a new dimension to other cocktails too. Botanicals include juniper, angelica, citrus peel, coriander seed, Kaffir lime leaves, orris root, rosemary and Szechuan pepper.
Blood Monkey was listed as a 'Top 3 Irish Gin' at the London Spirits Competition and rated as 'Excellent' in The Gin Guide.
The gin has strong environmental credentials. It's distilled at West Cork Distillers of Skibbereen, Cork, who have Origin Green credentials.
Each bottle is made from the highest grade 54% recycled glass and is 100% recyclable. The ink used is vegetable-based, non-toxic and also recyclable, while 84% of the total packaging is from recycled material. This includes over 90% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) recycled paper that's fully compostable. Blood Monkey Irish Craft Gin is now moving towards B-Corp accreditation too.
The brainchild of Dublin-based entrepreneur Jason Kidd, Blood Monkey is an attempt to stand out from the plethora of botanical gins which have hit the market. Kidd's view on the gin category is an unconventional one. "The craft gin category has become tired and saturated with too many brands peddling the same old thing. With Blood Monkey, we are calling time on the category conversions and are proud to produce a gin that tastes how it was meant to, in a style that hasn't been distilled in Ireland or the UK for almost 350 years. We see ourselves as an alternative to the gin on the market that, almost exclusively, centres around a dry style and fruit flavours. We have essentially developed a liquid that sits half way between a London Dry and a [sweeter] oude genever."
The packaging is a modern take on the traditional stone bottle, as Jason explains. "We sought inspiration from the old style, stone black genever bottles, which held very simple white labels and gold messaging. We're seeking to 'break the wall' of blue, green and clear glass gins!"
West Cork's Master Distiller, Deirdre Bohane, notes, "It is a sophisticated spirit with a complex character that reveals various details as it evolves on the palate. It hits you with a smooth, warm citrus spice followed with a slight hint of floral entwined with smoky, caramel flavours of whiskey."
If you're a whisky/whiskey drinker and have yet to be convinced by gin as a sipping spirit, then Blood Monkey might change your mind. It has the body and complexity that many other gins lack. The floral, herbal, spicy and savoury notes with citrus (lime), toffee and a hint of smoke plus a long finish should appeal to fans of other spirits too.
Although this is a sipping gin, it works well in a number of cocktails. These include Blood Orange (50ml Blood Monkey Gin, 25ml Benchmark Brown Sugar Whiskey Liqueur and fresh blood orange juice, shaken over ice and garnished with blood orange peel and a sprig of fresh rosemary).
You can find more suggestions on the company's website here.
Blood Monkey Irish Craft Gin is currently listed in high-end stockists across Ireland and you can buy it in the UK from Master of Malt, Tomoka Spirits Boutique, Eskbank Trading, St Andrews Brewing Co., Anspach & Hobday, Amazon and Shopify.
