A Touch of Bombay Spice

Bombay Dry and Sapphire Photographed by Sofia Miranda

Bombay Sapphire is a globally recognised spirit, distinctive packaging, a unique style of distillation, and great marketing have all made sure of this. As with every popular brand it has not gone without criticism, there are those who deny it's place in the gin world claiming it's light flavour profile make it more akin to a vodka than what was traditionally known as a gin. Although this could be viewed as a negative those who make this clim often fail to consider the rest of the Bombay range, yes there are more than one, two in fact, Bombay Dry is relatively unheard of  in Blighty often overshadowed by the more modern and glitzy Bombay Sapphire. Bombay Dry is a more traditional style of gin, big, bold and heavy in juniper, a gin which would satisfy the juniper addiction of purists. Bombay Sapphire on the other hand has a lighter flavour profile which appeals to a wider audience, those new to the spirit or those who usually drink vodka may well consume Sapphire as a stepping stone in to the category, gin for the masses, how can this be a bad thing?

Both Bombay Dry and Sapphire employ the same distillation method, vapour infusion. The traditional method of producing gin is to steep the botanicals in the neutral spirit prior to distillation to begin extracting the essence of the botanicals, it has been argued that by using this method one boils or stews the botanicals. The vapour method of infusion involves distilling the nuetral spirit on it's own allowing the vapours to pass through the botanicals which are held in a basket in the neck of the still, as the vaporised alcohol passes through the botanicals it extracts their essence. The vapour method of producing gin creates a more subtle and lighter flavour where as steeping especially for an extended period of time like Beefeater who steep for 24 hours before distillation will obviously extract more flavour. Neither method of distillation is necessarily better, they just create a different style of gin.

Bombay Dry is distilled with eight different botanicals; Juniper, Coriander Seeds, Lemon Peel,Angelica Root, Cassia Bark, Orris Root, Liquorice and Almonds and bottled at 43% abv. On the nose Bombay Dry is a rather powerful gin, not so Juniper punchy as Junipero but definitely dominant in the Juniper department, lemony citrus notes follow the juniper but there is an unfortunate alcohol burn which restricts further analysis of aroma.  On the palate the gin is a lot smoother than the burn on the nose would allow you to believe, it is a fresh citrusy gin with juniper not as dominant as it is on the nose but present all the same. Bombay Dry also possesses a rather pleasant earthy, spiciness which I can only imagine comes from the combination of coriander, angelica and iris root, this spicy finish which lingers on the tongue. Over all a very pleasant gin, nothing too surprising or unique just a bold, complex, well made product, neither flavour dominates, a great gin for mixing, especially in longer drinks where lighter products could get lost.


Bombay Sapphire makes use of all eight botanicals used in Bombay Dry but also adds Cubeb Berries and Grains of Paradise in to the mix and is bottled at 40%. The additional botanicals are not the only difference between the two gins, I suspects the proportion of the botanicals differs slightly considering how much lighter Sapphire is than it's big brother. On the nose I am immediately met with a fruity citrus if not slightly acidic zing, behind this the familiar aroma of juniper lingers. On the palate the gin is very light on flavour, the citrus which was ever so dominant on the nose returns but doesn't stay for long, the same can be said for the juniper, the spice which appears in Bombay Dry is back again but much less pronounced, Sapphire has a distinctively shorter taste. 


Sapphire generally a much lighter gin than Bombay Dry, it is this lighter style which may be better suited vodka drinkers or those who have not yet acclimatised to juniper heavy gins, it would be a good gin for a martini if you are trying to wean a guest off vodka, I wouldn't entertain the idea of mixing it in a gin and tonic or lengthening it in any way as it will find itself a little lost.


I do believe both styles of Bombay have a place on the market but feel as though consumers are unsure of where and why this is. Both gin's are excellent products both fulfilling a demand, one for vetran gin drinkers and another for newbies. I would still maintain Bombay Sapphire owes as much of it's success to it's snazzy packaging and marketing as it does to the gin itself. This is by no means a reflection of the quality of the gin but more from my personal experience of people ordering a gin and tonic and requesting either Bombay Sapphire or Gordons as their gin of choice, two gin's which couldn't be further removed from each other but coincidently are two of the biggest marketed gins in the category. I would love to see Bombay Dry more widely available in England and less over shadowed by it's younger sibling.


Hope You Enjoy


Umpleby & Brown