Doghouse Distillery Renegade Gin (70cl), Award-Winning Battersea London Gin 42% ABV, a contemporary, refreshingly herby Botanical Gin

Product Information

That grainy base is there, albeit in a very clean, almost tropical form. There’s a huge, green leafiness to the gin overall, with hints of sage and something ever so slightly mentholic tugging at the nostrils. It is the only "grain to glass" gin produced in London and one of a handful in the whole of the UK. We are not fans of following the traditional route in distilling (or life), and Renegade is contemporary on all levels.

In this speedy 60 second interview, we caught up with him to find out just how fast things are moving for the team and how his unique, anti-hero style brand is captivating the attention of many, especially ourselves! Gin Foundry: You have a full year under your belt now. Congrats! What’s it been like living in the eye of the storm? When we first saw the designs for our new cans, we were horrified,” Square Root co-founder Robyn Simms said. “Our marketing team got a right telling off! But then we came to realise this terrible design faux pas presented an inadvertent solution to the problem of the natural sediment in our drinks. Overall: A complex, intriguing and well-integrated gin that does a particularly good job of balancing floral and spicy notes.Given that he runs his own Cognac , rum and gin brands, you might think it’s hard to pin down Alexandre Gabriel. But, in my experience, the restless innovator is always happy to make time to chat about booze. Before I ask a question, he informs me he’s just spent the morning planting juniper trees at the Bonbonnet Estate and that he hopes the juniper and lemon supply for Citadelle Gin will be totally self-sustainable within five years. He’s been planting juniper berries since September 2017, inspired by the fact that the south west of France was known for its juniper berries during medieval times. He then explains that as someone one grew up on a farm he’s attached to the idea of growing what he needs, organically, of course. He already grows his own grapes for his Cognac. We’re seeing a rise in demand from many of our customers looking for premium drinks to-go, and our new cans are the perfect solution for them. They’re light, widely recycled and can be sold in many venues where glass bottles aren’t allowed. Yes, we were over the moon with winning it as we never win anything! Expect to see a new and exciting Renegade bottle after the Summer. What else is on the horizon for the year ahead in 2019?

This process starts by milling and mashing 100% English wheat then fermenting the wash for three days to make a 10% wheat beer. This wheat beer is then distilled once to create a “low wine” which is run through the rectification column, the heads and tails are discarded and what is left are the hearts – 96% silky smooth amazing vodka (which is what many gin distilleries buy in from a bulk supplier)! The one-of-a-kind bottle will be on display during May at the Observatory Bar in the Grand Central hotel, Belfast. The new cans are both innovative and fun, solving the problem and reflecting the quirky personality of our brand. Just don’t tell our marketing team I said that!” The infusion process lasts three to four days, during which the botanicals are added in successive steps while the degree of alcohol diminishes. “We lower the ABV with pure water, the same water that we use to bring down the ABV for Cognac, in which all the mineral elements have been eliminated through the reverse osmosis process. At the end, once the 19 botanicals have been infused, the ABV is about 30-35%. We set 20% of the infused spirit aside before sending it to the distillery and we infuse three extra botanicals, yuzu, cornflower and genepi from the Alps,” Gabriel says. “We then take the infused spirit to the distillery and we distil. Since the spirit has already been distilled at least three times, we only have to do one distillation. We do not keep the heads, we keep the heart and a large part of the seconds as well”.It is the only “grain to glass” gin produced in London and one of a handful in the whole of the UK. They are not fans of following the traditional route in distilling (or life), and Renegade is contemporary on all levels. Once you have done your budget and timeline, triple it! Do you feel like people are starting to really understand the grain to glass ethos you guys have? Jawbox Gin is set to unveil the world’s largest bottle of gin – equivalent to almost 46 standard bottles of gin – as the hospitality industry reopens for business. The LIVE virtual tastings are carried out in the last week of the month. Please keep an eye on our socials for confirmed dates! In the early days of Citadelle, Gabriel recalls a group of students proposing to do a business case on the brand. Naturally, Gabriel accepted, hoping their acumen would provide some insight. Their analysis? “There is no way this can work,” Gabriel says, laughing at his own expense. “This kept happening. I remember our importer in America looking at me like I must have gone mad. A French gin?! This decision was made purely out of passion and it was almost disastrous to our business. I have made many mistakes and I hope I am going to make less,” he says. “It looked like Citadelle wouldn’t work because it was out of time and it was financially painful. But, in the end, the two wrongs became a right. Now there is a new gin every week, right!?”

The Brands of Doghouse; Renegade Gin and Baller Vodka are true artisanal spirits that showcase very distinctive characters in texture and taste. Aptly named for the attitude and spunk that is evident in their profiles, both are best case scenarios of how a complete disregard for convention leads on to deliver incomparable brilliance.Explaining his venture into gin production, Saunders said: “I ran a pub with my wife in Australia that specialised in micro-brewed craft beer. I learnt to brew when we made colab beers with local breweries and really enjoyed the manufacturing process. It wasn’t enough to just have good beer, though, so I started working on building an amazing selection of great boutique wines and also spirits. This badass gin is insanely sessionable, deliciously herbaceous and piney, with a smooth, lingering finish.