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Doghouse Distillery Renegade Gin (70cl), Award-Winning Battersea London Gin 42% ABV, a contemporary, refreshingly herby Botanical Gin

£9.9£99Clearance
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When it burst onto the scene in late 2017, Renegade Gin had our attention instantly. A grain to glass gin made in central London seemed if not impossible, highly unlikely, so we hot footed it down to the distillery to see what was going on. We were astonished by the level of craft co-founder Braden Saunders was working towards, and we’ve been trailing his journey ever since. Creating a unique and sessionable style that appeals to both Gin connoisseurs and people new to Gin. It’s something that is inclusive, like booze should be! And of course being one of a very small group of distilleries in the UK making Gin from scratch. What was the most memorable high point over the past few months?

We’re seeing a rise in demand from many of our customers looking for premium drinks to-go, and our new cans are the perfect solution for them. They’re light, widely recycled and can be sold in many venues where glass bottles aren’t allowed. We cast our MoM-branded spotlight on Citadelle Gin , an expression created at a Cognac house, that predates the craft gin boom. Its founder Alexandre Gabriel explains why he created a gin in the first place, the 18th-century recipe he based it on and his patented brand of gin distillation. With tonic, the waxed leaf flush is even brighter, with the dilution of the spirit hushing the spice and allowing the foliage to roam free. It’s incredibly green and delightfully refreshing, a G&T for a hot summer day, for sure. It is the only “grain to glass” gin produced in London and one of a handful in the whole of the UK. They are not fans of following the traditional route in distilling (or life), and Renegade is contemporary on all levels.Given that he runs his own Cognac , rum and gin brands, you might think it’s hard to pin down Alexandre Gabriel. But, in my experience, the restless innovator is always happy to make time to chat about booze. Before I ask a question, he informs me he’s just spent the morning planting juniper trees at the Bonbonnet Estate and that he hopes the juniper and lemon supply for Citadelle Gin will be totally self-sustainable within five years. He’s been planting juniper berries since September 2017, inspired by the fact that the south west of France was known for its juniper berries during medieval times. He then explains that as someone one grew up on a farm he’s attached to the idea of growing what he needs, organically, of course. He already grows his own grapes for his Cognac. If we were to make spirits uniquely Hawkshead, how would we do it? We’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with a variety of different combinations of beer, casks and base spirits, and are really happy with the final result.

Award-winning Lake District-based brewer, Hawkshead, has launched a range of locally made spirits aged in barrels which previously held Hawkshead Windermere Pale Ale, Hawkshead Red, Mosaic Pale Ale and Prime Porter. Overall: A complex, intriguing and well-integrated gin that does a particularly good job of balancing floral and spicy notes. While we remain committed to bottling our drinks, we foresee cans becoming a key part of our offering this summer and beyond.” Made with 14 botanicals including a good amount of juniper and lots of leafy green herbs, Renegade has an incredible aroma, herbaceous and piney on the palate and has a smooth and lingering finish. The Doghouse team are not fans of following the traditional route in distilling (or life), and Renegade Gin is contemporary on all levels. 'Renegade (n) - a person who behaves in a rebelliously unconventional manner'.A handful of the botanicals (no doubt the hardier, more standard ones) are left to macerate overnight in the base vodka, then in the morning the rest of the ingredients are added in and the still is switched on. The distillation run is a long, slow eight hours, producing somewhere between 2,500 and 3,500 bottles (once cut down to bottling strength of 42%) at a time. Renegade Gin to taste…

In the early days of Citadelle, Gabriel recalls a group of students proposing to do a business case on the brand. Naturally, Gabriel accepted, hoping their acumen would provide some insight. Their analysis? “There is no way this can work,” Gabriel says, laughing at his own expense. “This kept happening. I remember our importer in America looking at me like I must have gone mad. A French gin?! This decision was made purely out of passion and it was almost disastrous to our business. I have made many mistakes and I hope I am going to make less,” he says. “It looked like Citadelle wouldn’t work because it was out of time and it was financially painful. But, in the end, the two wrongs became a right. Now there is a new gin every week, right!?” In this speedy 60 second interview, we caught up with him to find out just how fast things are moving for the team and how his unique, anti-hero style brand is captivating the attention of many, especially ourselves! Gin Foundry: You have a full year under your belt now. Congrats! What’s it been like living in the eye of the storm? Production begins in the field. Saunders buys in wheat from an English maltster, which he mills, mashes and brews into a high sugar wort. Then he adds yeast and ferments into around a 10% wheat beer. This is then pot distilled up to a 30% low wine before being put through Doghouse Distillery’s rectification column where it transfers into a high purity vodka. We are focused now on releasing an Aperitivo in the first half of this year. As far as gin goes, though, we have produced and will release in the coming months our first batch Damson Gin, as part of our Sidewayz brand, and also the second batch of our Sidewayz Sloe Gin. It is the only "grain to glass" gin produced in London and one of a handful in the whole of the UK. We are not fans of following the traditional route in distilling (or life), and Renegade is contemporary on all levels.What followed was a struggle in which Gabriel lobbied to make his gin, arguing that there was historical precedent for this act. Extensive research uncovered that historically gin was produced in pot stills over a naked flame, which is exactly how Cognac pot stills were designed. “I don’t know about you but when I am pissed at something I work even harder! France is a very bureaucratic country. I was told there’s no rule that allows me to do this, but I was much younger and rebellious in nature and I said there’s no rule that says I cannot”, he said. Eventually, “after five long years, I finally received the AOC approval to distil gin in Cognac in 1995!” This process starts by milling and mashing 100% English wheat then fermenting the wash for three days to make a 10% wheat beer. This wheat beer is then distilled once to create a “low wine” which is run through the rectification column, the heads and tails are discarded and what is left are the hearts – 96% silky smooth amazing vodka (which is what many gin distilleries buy in from a bulk supplier)! The infusion process lasts three to four days, during which the botanicals are added in successive steps while the degree of alcohol diminishes. “We lower the ABV with pure water, the same water that we use to bring down the ABV for Cognac, in which all the mineral elements have been eliminated through the reverse osmosis process. At the end, once the 19 botanicals have been infused, the ABV is about 30-35%. We set 20% of the infused spirit aside before sending it to the distillery and we infuse three extra botanicals, yuzu, cornflower and genepi from the Alps,” Gabriel says. “We then take the infused spirit to the distillery and we distil. Since the spirit has already been distilled at least three times, we only have to do one distillation. We do not keep the heads, we keep the heart and a large part of the seconds as well”. At 32 litres and standing at 73cm tall, the ‘Jawbox Giant’s Edition’ bottle is an oversized version of the brand’s Export Strength gin with an ABV of 47%. This badass gin is insanely sessionable, deliciously herbaceous and piney, with a smooth, lingering finish.

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