Palmers

Langley Distillery is famous for the production of many a famous gin tipple, including the aptly named Langley’s, Martin Millers and Broker’s. Third-party contracts have always been the name of the game for the Birmingham based company, but now they’ve decided to branch out and create their own tipple, defined by its heritage and history of the Palmer family.

The Palmers heritage can trace itself back to 1805 in Old Street, London, where the family varnish business were to be founded by William Henry Palmer. Once passed onto his son Walter, the business started to transition into alcohol production, which set the foundations for the company as we know it today with current great-grand daughter Angela, along with her husband, sparking the voyage into gin creation.

Taking the Crosswells Brewery site, itself dating from the early 1800’s and built over an ancient underground water source, the brewery changed itself into a distillery in 1920 and has some of the oldest working copper gin stills in the UK, some of which date back to the early 1800’s!

Palmers gin has been created with Angela in mind, which they say is “infused with Angela’s zest and love for life.” The gin itself has within a blend of 7 botanicals (juniper berries, coriander seeds, cassia bark, liquorice root, angelica root, orris root and grapefruit), the exact recipe of which is kept close to Angela’s son Adam and granddaughter Natalie. Each botanical is weighed out by hand and placed into the aptly-named copper still ‘Angela’ (commissioned in 1903) in a specific order, alongside water and British wheat spirit. The resulting mix if left to infuse overnight.

But how does it fare? Well below, I give to you my tasting notes –

Palmers – 44%

Light, subtle notes of lavender, parmer violet and grapefruit zest upon the nose, following onto the palate with a smooth start. Orange twist, with hints of waxy lemon, liquorice and an undertone of earthy notes, resulting in a warm kick of juniper berry.

A cracking gin on its own, but one that’s also worthy to be within one of these –

White Lady

Glass –

Martini

Ingredients – 

35ml Palmers London Dry Gin
25ml Cointreau
25ml Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
25ml Sugar Syrup
Lemon Twist to garnish

Method – 

Combine all ingredients within an ice filled mixing glass and stir. Strain into a Martini glass and garnish with lemon twist.

A superb gin that really shows off the history and dedication that Langley’s have had, and have finally put their stamp on their own gin to rival the very many they have created for others over the years. One for the drinks cabinet for sure.

© David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.