BOMBAY SAPPHIRE®, the world’s number one premium gin, has recently released STAR OF BOMBAY™, a new, super premium gin slowly distilled to create a spirit of extraordinary beauty, perfect for entertaining this summer season.
Produced in small quantities entirely at Laverstoke Mill in Hampshire, England, Master Distiller, Nik Fordham, was inspired by the innovative, new gin-distillery and Thomas Heatherwick designed glass houses to create a new expression of the BOMBAY signature style, yet with a distinctive, intriguing character of its very own.
Working together with the Master of Botanicals, he searched the world for new botanicals that could play in harmony with the original recipe. The recipe for STAR OF BOMBAY begins with the eight precious botanicals that lie at the heart of all BOMBAY gins: Juniper, Coriander, Lemon Peel, Orris, Angelica, Almonds, Liquorice and Cassia Bark, ‘and lifts them to a new dimension’.
Master of Botanicals for BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, Ivano Tonutti explained, “It is possible to simply add new botanicals to a gin and bring a ‘note’ of their character over the spirit, but this is not the style of BOMBAY. We vapour infuse our botanicals. Painstaking trials had to be made to achieve the precise quantities and qualities that could integrate into the heart of the gin. It is this perfect balance that we aim for.”
Gently dried bergamot orange peel, sourced from the mountains of Calabria, Southern Italy, provide a fragrant, rich citrus note; while the floral-musk of ambrette seeds, from the tropical yellow hibiscus flower grown in Ecuador, supply a singular graceful elegance.
In addition to the added botanicals, the elegant liquid captured in each bottle is achieved by slowing down our signature Vapour Infusion process, to increase the level of extraction from the botanicals, building richer aromas and more intense flavours.
“The single batch distillation method designed around STAR OF BOMBAY is very much a craft process,” explained Master Distiller Nik Fordham. “It requires more hands-on control and monitoring to create a gin of extraordinary complexity that make it feel more like an aged spirit. So much so, that you can drink it neat, over ice, which is an amazing surprise that gin can be drunk and enjoyed this way.”
STAR OF BOMBAY is created at the newly restored Laverstoke Mill, the new distillery for BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, visitor experience and brand home that opened in October 2014.
The STAR OF BOMBAY Signature Serve, The Intense Gin and Tonic, is a unique alternative to an evening cocktail offering a more flavourful experience.
The Intense Gin and Tonic Recipe:
One part STAR OF BOMBAY Gin
One part Indian Tonic Water
Finished with orange zest
STAR OF BOMBAY is now available at Dan Murphy’s and other premium independent retailers, at the recommended retail price of $69.99.
by Arrnott Olssen
Editor Rogue Homme
