Spirit of the Month!! - May 2010 - Plymouth Gin

[castlecraver]

Welcome to the B&B Speakeasy Spirit of the Month!

Our selection for May 2010 is Plymouth Gin!

(Sorry about flaking out last month, guys. I'm in the process of tying up loose ends and changing jobs, and interviews had me out of town -Pat)

Few things in life please me quite like a late-Spring gin cocktail. And few gins please me quite like Plymouth. Tim's a Boodle's man, many of you are Hendricks' guys. My first gin love? Plymouth. I've since come around to many varietals, but I'll still have a soft spot in my heart for the product of that small city on the coast of Devon. In fact, the style and brand of gin known as Plymouth can by law, only be produced in Plymouth England.

What makes it different? Well, it's a bit sweeter and lighter than many gins. Wikipedia calls it "earthy," but I tend to think of it as more balanced and aromatic than other gins that are occasionally overpowered by juniper. Therefore, the taste is more rounded and less sharp, and you taste more of the root ingredients beneath the juniper and citrus peel. And the standard issue isn't quite as alcohol-laden as others at a respectable 82.4pr. However (although I've never seen it myself), they offer a "Navy Strength" bottling at 57%. Supposedly this would be to prevent ruining gunpowder, similar to the story about proofing bourbon that most American imbibers know. But IMO, if you're in danger of spilling gin on your gunpowder, you've probably had a bit too much.

Plymouth is distilled in the oldest gin distillery in the world. The building is a former Dominican monastery built in 1431 and records date distilling activities at the site in 1697. Perhaps apocryphal stories state many of the original Pilgrims spent their last night in England there, and an homage is paid them with the Mayflower ship on the label. Plymouth was first distilled there in 1793. It became popular amongst officers of the British Navy and was therefore shipped all over the world. It, like most high-quality foreign-distilled spirits, was particularly popular in the US during prohibition. As of 2008, the brand is now owned by Pernod Ricard. Historically, Plymouth is reportedly yet another favorite of Churchill and FDR, as well as Ian Fleming and Alfred Hitchcock.

It's a great time of year for gin cocktails -- gimlets, g&t's, negronis, and of course, the martini! Let us know how you like it and your opinion of Plymouth!

Cheers!


Oh, and have a look at our past selections on the B&B Wiki if you get a chance!

[TimmyBoston]

Excellent choice, Pat. This is a really cool gin. It's my second favorite behind Boodles.

[Laz]

Before following the spirit of the month thread, I can't remember ever having gin. Now I enjoy Boodles and Hendricks. I can't wait to pick up a bottle of Plymouth.

[clubman]

Plymouth is a great gin and a long time favorite of mine, but lately the current owners (Pernod Ricard) have been trying to push it as an ultra-premium brand and have jacked up the price accordingly. Five years ago, you could get it for $14, now it hovers near the $30 mark! Accordingly, when my current stock runs dry I won't be in a big hurry to buy a new bottle - that's really more than I'm prepared to pay for gin (except Old Raj, but that's a different story....)

However, apropos of this SOTM, I did enjoy a gin & bitter lemon followed by an Aviation, both with Plymouth, after a long hot day of yard work the other weekend and it's still an undeniably excellent gin. Just look for big sales at the liquor store before you buy it...

[DFrancis]

Very nice choice, I find Plymouth to be very mild and full of flavour.

[bald1]

I'd love to try the stuff but unfortunately in my old age I've found even a little bit of gin gives me wicked headaches. So my martinis are made with vodka

[Mejnoon]

I've tried atleast 10 different gins in the past few months and Plymouth is one of my top 3...excellent gin, balanced is the right word.

[Laz]

Picked up a bottle tonight. Haven't had a chance to try it yet. Maybe tomorrow or Sunday. So many choices. Which first? A martini, gin and tonic, straight with a little lime, or maybe a gin and ginger ale. Thanks B&B

[jrhudgins]

Excellent choice. One of my favorites along with Citadelle.
Great way to lead us into the Summer.

JR

[TimmyBoston]

Picked up a bottle tonight. Haven't had a chance to try it yet. Maybe tomorrow or Sunday. So many choices. Which first? A martini, gin and tonic, straight with a little lime, or maybe a gin and ginger ale. Thanks B&B

I prefer it in a martini. I think it would make a nice G&T as well.

[jrhudgins]

I prefer gin straight with very little cracked ice. Maybe an olive or two.

But I went with Bowmore 17 tonight instead. And a piece of dark chocolate.

JR

[Laz]

I prefer gin straight with very little cracked ice. Maybe an olive or two.

But I went with Bowmore 17 tonight instead. And a piece of dark chocolate.

JR

Nice. How does the 17 compare to the 12. I tried the 12 a couple of months ago. It really didn't do much for me.

[jrhudgins]

I am ambivalent about the Bowmores. The peat and smoke levels are just right for me for an everyday dram, but they lack they complexity that they could have. The 17 is fatter and a bit richer on the tongue, more oak and peat well-integrated, and the finish longer and drier than the 12, but still with the fruit quality of other Bowmores. Would love to see what it would be like at higher strength.

[Don]

Great Gin, but I do sort of miss the bottle they were using a number of years ago.

Would also like it at a slightly higher proof for a classic Martini.

[RHVette]

Bought a bottle of this to celebrate my 21st, and I have to say, I really like it so far. I still really need to work on my bartending, since my latest attempt at a gibson was so bad I had to throw it down the drain, but in everything else I've put it in, it's been fantastic. Favorite so far is a good old Gin Fizz, but a Gin & Ginger with a little lime goes down great, too. Now I just need to pick up some of that Redbreast from last month's thread.

[Benzine Prosper]

Plymouth is a fair gin for its price, crisp and clean. It's fairly even palate makes it a perfect gin for the more savory style of drink; for example I was drinking gibson martinis with plymouth last night (a standard gin martini, left quite wet and garnished with a pickled onion), and found that plymouth lent itself perfectly to the gibson and made it far too easy to imbibe a couple!

[MikeyAces]

Always been a Gin guy. Plymouth is a classic that I'm very fond of, but I've only been able to find it on rare occasions. As a result I'm usually reduced to Beefeater, or Bombay. My personal favorite is Gilbey's, but only if it was made in England. Nearly all the Gilbey's sold in America is made here, and it is in no way the same as the english variety I'm so partial to.

[ackvil]

As for me I love Bombay Sapphire for the perfect martini. In a pinch, Beefeaters is good.

[Rughi]

...My personal favorite is Gilbey's, but only if it was made in England. Nearly all the Gilbey's sold in America is made here, and it is in no way the same as the english variety I'm so partial to.

Fascinating. I just checked my bottle of Gilbey's and it's a Frankfort, Ky bottling "produced in agreement with" Gilbey. My guess is that it's Buffalo Trace, as they do indeed process large volumes of various white spirits. Perhaps it's Beam's Grand Dad plant or someone else, though.

Could you characterized the differences you find between the British and the heart of Bourbon Country versions?

Roger

[Sal]

You guys may like this, here is a video about Plymouth Gin. This is from the BBC series "Oz and James Drink to Britain" in which wine writer Oz Clarke and motor journalist James May travel through Britain and Ireland to discover the array of available alcoholic drinks. I watched all 7 episodes of the series, some parts were good, some were so so. Anyways, here is the part where they do Plymouth Gin and it seems as if would fit into this thread nicely.

Jump to the 3:00 min mark

[YOUTUBE]BIs7RnF9b5g[/YOUTUBE]