Tarquin's Mediterranean Gin
Rosemary galore
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Alcohol
- 42%
- Bottle size
- 700 ml
- Producer
- Southwestern Distillery
- In short
- Intense southern notes
- Botanicals
- Lemon thyme, Juniper, Rosemary, Sage, Lemon peel, Coriander seed, Almonds, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Liquorice root, Angelica root, Orris root, Orange peel, Grapefruit peel, Violet
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Aromacode®
- 1 Pine, 63 of 100
- 2 Citrus, 38 of 100
- 3 Fruits, 22 of 100
- 4 Blossoms, 21 of 100
- 5 Grass, 37 of 100
- 6 Herbs, 72 of 100
- 7 Wood, 11 of 100
- 8 Spices, 22 of 100
- 9 Sharpness, 32 of 100
The Aromacode® shows how strongly each aroma comes through. The larger the wedge, the stronger the aroma. Numbers match the list.
Mixers tested with this Gin
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Sweet and appealing
Doctor Polidori Dry Tonic Water
With this tonic, the gin can balance the intense rosemary with a little sweetness. It says a lot that the gin dominates the tonic, because with this one it's often the other way round.
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Very Mediterranean. Sweeeet.
Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water
Sage and thyme are easy to taste here, while rosemary becomes less intense. The gin's versatility comes through best. Moderately sweet.
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Resinous rosemary
Schweppes Dry Tonic Water
Wow, rosemary comes through very intensely here. It's fruity. All the other flavours move into the background. Rosemary leads.
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Too sweet
Thomas Henry Tonic Water
Nope. There's rosemary, but otherwise just sweetness.
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Punchy… what, exactly?
Schweppes Herbal Tonic Water
Very dry, but sweet. Lots of rosemary comes through, with a hint of fruitiness too. Overall, though, it isn't very exciting.
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Pure sage
Mistelhain Signature Tonic
Sweet and floral as always, but with a surprise this time. The rosemary almost disappears and sage is fully there.
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Far too sweet
Gemellii Indian Tonic
Yes, you can recognise the gin. But there's a little bitterness and soooo much sweetness. Almost undrinkable. Or add lots of ice or soda.
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Double act
Schweppes Indian Tonic Water
Sage and rosemary are equally intense here. You might find the sweetness too much, but with plenty of ice, it's a good G&T.
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About this bottle
Founder and namesake Tarquin Leadbetter began his journey into spirits — specifically gin — in 2012. A chef at 23, he moved into distilling as the craft gin wave was beginning to swell. After more than a year and over a hundred individual distillations on his original 700 ml still, his first gin was ready, and Cornwall's first distillery in over a hundred years brought a gin to market. Today, liqueurs and pastis are part of the range too. The little still is no longer the basis of production, of course. They started with a second-hand copper still from Portugal, and three more have since joined it. A sign of how Southwestern Distillery has grown.
Botanicals
Rosemary and lemon thyme support juniper and citrus in this gin. They aren't just names on the label, nor are they hidden in the flavour. You taste the extra additions immediately.
The botanicals macerate in a wheat spirit for 12 hours, with violet added just before distillation begins. Distillation takes place in copper stills sealed at the joints with bread dough. You can imagine how delicious those pieces of bread must taste as they cook over time. The gin is distilled to around 76% ABV, then reduced to drinking strength with demineralised local spring water.
Tasting
Aroma
What a burst of summer comes out of the glass. It immediately brings to mind warm, even hot summer days in southern France or Spain. Rosemary, thyme and lemon aromas announce themselves intensely. Juniper's resinous note fits right into that picture. But there's a hint of fruitiness too.
Taste and finish
It's an intense gin. You'll certainly make plenty of G&Ts from this 700 ml bottle; with other gins, you might need two 500 ml bottles instead. Those same intense aromas come through in the taste. Thyme, rosemary and sage stand right at the front alongside juniper. But there's sweetness in this profile too, with a note of ripe fruit. It's a lovely counterpoint that keeps the gin from becoming too harsh. Different tonics bring its nuances into the mix to varying degrees, but you always end up with a punchy, summery drink. Taste it neat and a long herbal finish remains, letting you dream and enjoy it for a little longer.
Final thoughts
Tarquin's gins are generally a pleasure, and this one is a good choice for your collection or your next gin gathering too. The 700 ml bottle makes it good value compared with many others. If you enjoy Mediterranean gins, don't hesitate to try this one.