Just Bottled: Limited Edition Islay Firkin Gin - Oak Rested London Dry Gin

Here at Gleann Mór we are, first and foremost, lovers of whisky. Its alluring style, classy character and ever-changing flavour profile keep us on our toes and in thrall.

But every once in a while, we can't help but keep our lovely whiskies on the shelf and choose something slightly different to fill our glass of an evening. Which is how the inspiration for Firkin Gin came about. Craving a long drink, after a long day, our founder Derek Mair thought: wouldn't it be great if I could enjoy a gin but with more of the rich flavour profile that I crave in whisky?

With a quick look around his cellar, he realised that he had the perfect solution: why not age a gin in the casks that previously held the whisky he was bottling for Gleann Mor spirits, delectable drams like the 20 Glen Garioch.

Numerous conversations followed before he found a Scottish gin maker who saw how exciting a project it could be. While we can't reveal who that gin maker is, we can say that the gin is made to our specific recipe and features just four botanicals: juniper, coriander seed, angelica root and orris root.

Distilled four times, it is then further aged for up to three months in our oak casks which previously held whisky. It leads to around 250 bottles per run, and with each run coming from a different whisky cask, the batches vary a little bit by the time they make it to the bottle.

Which brings us to our very exciting release for this month, something of a twist that we think you whisky lovers are going to love rather a lot. You see, our initial experiments with Firkin taught us that whisky cask-aged gin could be utterly delectable. But it also made us want to explore more.

This latest batch of Firkin Gin is the result of that undeniable curiosity as we set out to see what would happen if we popped our gin into an ex-Lagavulin cask.

The result? A wonderful and unique delight for the palate!

According to Mair: “As a true whisky and gin lover, I know this new Lagavulin cask-aged Firkin gin will appeal to a wide range of spirits drinkers. It has been thrilling to watch how the gin has taken on such a unique character as it's aged and I can't wait to share it with you all.”

On the nose you're immediately hit with that spicy, warming smell of juniper. Some honey and resin follows, before a nice note of something slightly medicinal. On the palate, this limited edition Firkin Gin exudes a wonderful, spicy and fruity kick from those gin botanicals, combined with a silky smooth, smoky exterior from the Lagavulin cask.

There's black pepper and lime peel, ash and vanilla, sea salt and coriander seed. Imagine eating a warming curry by a fire in a pine forest near the sea on Islay and you'll be somewhere close to the comfort of this spirit.

And with the cool nights of autumn descending upon us, we can't help but feel it's the perfect time to sit down after a long day's work with a glass of this smoky and seductive gin.

Drink it as you would a whisky: neat or over ice. Most important of all, enjoy!

Photo credit: http://www.lockettbros.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/lagavulin-distillery.jpg