Gin Review: Slake Gin

I love it when I can get my mitts on something no-one well else is likely to have.

Slake Gin is one of those. It’s made down in Sussex, and just the name of the county makes me think of lush green fields, and softly sunlit beaches. A bit of a journey away from my ex council flat in the suburbs of Manchester.

Slake Gin is the creation of Tom Martin-Wells.  And his journey from new dad (who happens to be a gin distiller) is in part down to his dog. Dog walks, meant more time in the countryside. That in turn sparked an interest in foraging, and the bounty of Shoreham-on-Sea. Add in a G&T, and his grandad’s garage, his PhD in chemistry and you’ve got a distiller.

What I’ve found fascinating, in researching the gin, is actually what’s available on Tom’s doorstep. Sumac on the beach. Roman herbs and spices. As well as those we’d recognise more readily, fennel, rose petals and angelica.

In fact if I can wrangle a visit, I think I need to. Tom’s hinted at plans for a brandy, absinthe and something akin to Compari. And I need to know more.

But enough about that, let’s get to the gin.

Tom kindly sent me to gins. A bottle of the Slake Gin Sussex Dry, and a minature bottle of the hedgerow gin. Let’s start with the signature.

The gin is effectively a London Dry style gin, made in the one shot method, i.e. in with the dried botanicals, and neutral spirit with a little water, then the heart of the spirit is taken and diluted to the required strength. In this case the abv is 45%. And the list of botanicals, as you’d expect includes a lot foraged locally, juniper, coriander, cassia, cardamom, fennel, angelica, lemon balm and lemon verbena.

Neat, the nose holds soft spices, and toasty notes, the soft sweetness of a copper pot still comes through. Palate is round and syrupy, but the palate has a blend of herbal notes, juniper, citrus and toasted coriander and cassia.

In a G&T, the nose is all soft citrus and juniper. The palate is juicy. Lots of refreshing citrus and herbals, then the finish is all soft spice and toasted notes – much softer than the neat gin, but no less pleasing.

Onto the Hedgerow Gin. This really is seasonal, so the sample I have (had) was dinky and was from 2018. As you’d expect for a gin that’s foraged for in the autumn, the profile is a little richer, and deeper. The botanicals are juniper, coriander, cassia, cardamom, fennel, liquorice, lemongrass, elder, rowan and rose. Fruitful autumnal flavours.

Oh and if you want a bottle for Christmas, you’ll need to pre-order now.

So let’s get to the gin. Neat the nose has a similar toasty note to the original, but with something a little more menthol going on. It’s like fennel, but with a breathier, mintier quality to it. It’s similar on the palate, the fennel notes come across as almost minty, fresh and clean.

In a G&T, the nose has soft citrus, florals, and fennel, almost like a sweet aniseed note – fresh and clean. The palate is similar, there are florals, but the fennel dominates a little, and there’s a little tartness, perhaps from the rowan at the finish, that lingers a little in the mouth.

These gins are bloody fabulous – the Sussex Dry coming across as my favourite. The way Tom has managed to get such a juicy quality to the gin but without any citrus is incredibly clever.

I don’t think this bottle is going to last long.