Are there any particular champions of the brand within the on-trade/ bars/ people that you work with? The marketing spiel says this is “gin, just as it should be”, and while marketing spiels are usually guff, this one happens to be spot on. It’s hard to find a gin simultaneously this archetypal – it’s a classic London Dry – this elegant, and this flavourful (the finish goes on and on). Whether you’re a G&T obsessive or martini connoisseur, No. 3 hits the mark every time. Though, for the record: we like it best with a slug of classic Indian tonic. Looking at the category generally, there are a few ways gin could go. Look at how vodka has changed, perhaps we’ll see some consolidation in gin, then only a handful of new brands emerging, and may be some will have enough regional loyalty to keep going. But there are those without an established route to market, we could see some disappear. Or it could go the way of Armagnac, dozens of small producers all selling thousands of cases.’

It’s easy to see why it has become so popular. It’s such a versatile spirit with endless flavour profiles and, together with tonic, it’s the perfect combination. But even this barely touches the surface. Because, the truth is, Jake doesn’t tend bar so much these days. While he remains the perfect host at the bar, he’s now way too busy running them or making the spirits that go on your drinks – most recently helping set up the extraordinary Distillery in Portobello Road. The gin itself is designed in the London Dry Style. It features nine botanicals distilled on a base of wheat. The brand launched in 2011. Tasting Notes Portobello Road No. 171 Gin is a solid mixing gin behind the bar. I tend to be less a fan of spice-forward gins in a gin and tonic or gin and soda. Paired with a citrus seltzer or citrus tonic water, it becomes brighter and lets the juniper shine.

Disclaimer

The great thing about gin is it can be stored for years without going off, but it’s recommended to drink it within two years of opening. Even if you tightly reseal it, it’ll likely lose taste and quality if you leave it any longer. What are the different types of gin?

For nine months, the founders Ged Feltham and Jake Burger experimented and obsessed about creating the perfect balanced blend of craft gin. The character slowly developed and finally, in 2011, Portobello Road No 171 Gin was born.It’s exhausting writing about it, must make exhausting reading, and frankly, we’re not sure how Jake does it. It’s never ending, and yet it doesn’t faze Burger, he loves it all. Portobello Road No. 171 Gin reads like a photograph of craft gin distilling around the time it was released. Heavy handed with spice, it’s your quintessential spice forward gin. We already wondered if the gin market had room for us. But we had the bars, so at the very least, we could sell it through our venues. It payed for itself so there was virtually zero risk. We started on a small scale, labelling by hand, and spirits shops like Gerry’s in Soho liked this element of it. We didn’t go for a bespoke bottle which saved us money, and we were pitching ourselves cheaper than a gin like Tanqueray No.Ten so didn’t compete with them. Getting it listed in bars was a case of calling in a few favours around the UK, and to this day it is still stronger in the regions than in London.’

We’ve also won some fantastic accolades – Portobello Road Gin was the only London Dry Gin in the premium category to win the top ranking ‘Master’ accolade in the Global Gin Masters 2015. The market is still showing signs of growth, but it is now extremely competitive and some brands may soon begin to give way as it becomes more saturated. However, as we’ve seen with the craft beer market, I think smaller distillers will continue to snatch market share from the larger brands.So from small acorns, washing up in a themed bar, to his own place, Leeds domination and then down to the searing lights – or dusty antique shops – of Portobello Road. And now a Distillery and a gin. And the gin has been a huge success.

We have also worked on several projects with the Savoy including inviting them to The Ginstitue to blend their very own gin. We also embarked on a similar project with El Gato Negro in Manchester. Then I had a short spell in what became my only foray into fine dining at a place called Rascasse. That’s the last time I interviewed for job. They wanted someone with sommelier experience, I knew nothing about wine but bluffed through the interview. Then in 1995 I went to Indie Joe’s which was where things started to change.’ For example, we were the first spirits brand to create a gin using British asparagus which was the first of our annual limited edition Director’s Cut gins and was created by founder Paul Lane. We’ll be announcing details of our second Director’s Cut very soon which will be an extra special edition by Ged Feltham to celebrate our fifth anniversary.Our Gin Instructor was Carmen, she was amazing! 🌟 Her knowledge of the history of gin throughout the centuries & humour in telling stories & making everyone feel included was second to none!