Warning, Grapefruit and Coconut!

Hoxton Gin photographed by Sofia Miranda

An unusual gin has emerged on the market, an interesting yet challenging gin, providing something you really wouldn't expect from the category, some of you may have guessed this from the title of this post, I am referring to Hoxton Gin

A recent trend in the gin market has been to use unusual yet subtle botanicals alongside those more traditional herbs and spices, allowing other botanicals to share centre stage with Juniper, resulting in some interesting floral gins such as Aviation. These light, floral gin's certainly make one stop and think whether they belong in the category at all, or whether they would be more at home alongside Belvedere's latest flavours. Essentially these New Western Dry Gin's, as they seem to have been dubbed are just a new breed of gin, inspired by the lighter flavours of those London Dry Gins such as Bombay Sapphire which have pushed the boundaries of the rules dictating juniper must be the dominant flavour.

Hoxton Gin most certainly falls outside the London Dry style but does not quite follow suit of these light floral Western Dry styles either. It chooses some interesting botanicals such as tarragon and iris, botanicals which are delicately painted on the neutral spirit canvas before adding grapefruit and the more surprising coconut with what seems to be an industrial size roller, these botanicals dominate the spirit, in the same way juniper dominates Tanqueray, almost to the extent of masking what makes the product a gin.

I must say at this point I am rather fond of Hoxton Gin as a spirit but can see how purists would turn their noses up at it's gin status and struggle to identify it as gin. On the nose it has very sweet, fresh coconut notes which are followed by zesty grapefruit, if you focus your sense of smell you can just about find juniper at the back shyly popping it's hand up to be counted. The sweetness continues on the palate with the coconut dominating once more closely followed by the grapefruit, with our old friend juniper dragging his feet behind.

Overall an extremely interesting product massively pushing the boundaries of what we know as gin potentially opening up the category to the coconut rum loving masses, not one for purists, but a must try for those with an open mind. I look forward  to see what tropical, tiki style gin libations will emerge out of this change of pace for gin.  

We Hope You Enjoy,

Umpleby & Brown