Spicy gin rocks members’ tonic
A new Co-op gin will hit stores in November and we think it’s a bit special.
It’s special for a few reasons, it’s been created by the UK’s only female master gin distiller for a start, and has a truly unique flavour. But perhaps most interestingly, it’s because the final blend was selected by Co-op members.
We know our members are a rather discerning bunch, so naturally, who better to ask when it came to deciding which one of the three blends of gin on our shortlist should be the one we selected.
We dispatched tasting kits to the 50 selfless member volunteers who joined in to taste three different gin samples and feed back to us their reviews on each. From this join in opportunity, we’ve not only chosen the gin that we’ll launch later this year, we’ve also got some great member-created tasting notes that will be printed on the bottle label.
Our members were tasting these gins blind, so we had code names for each blend. Gold Star was a more citrus and fruity gin, the Silver Star was a spicy blend and the White Circle was a classic traditional juniper with a liquorice finish
The feedback we received from members was fabulous – here’s just a flavour:
Gold Star: A smooth and well-balanced gin bursting with intense citrus notes leading to a crisp finish, Tarek Rehmatulla. Co-op member from Pontyclun.
Silver Star: A crisp taste that has undertones of herb running through it that refresh and relax, Graham Bland, Co-op member from South Ockendon.
White Circle: Well balanced, delicate Juniper and floral on the front of the tongue, almond on the nose and a pleasant but gentle fruity finish, Sarah Baxter, Co-op member from Manchester.
But in the blind taste test it was the gin with the silver star – the spicy number – that emerged as favourite, attracting a big thumbs up from 41% of members.
|
41% |
32% | 27% |
| Spicy | Citrus & fruity |
Classic juniper |
It went down particularly well with Aaron Tomlinson, Co-op member from Sutton Coldfield, whose words will be appearing on the bottle labels when it launches. In his words, the gin is “complex and bold with hints of pepper, grapefruit and berries”
And we also liked Aaron’s serving suggestion for this gin – with tonic and a slice of grapefruit.
A huge thank you to all of the members who have taken part in this opportunity to shape our own-brand gin offer going forward. I’ll be looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks of the new gin when it goes on sale later this year.
Until then, don’t forget to head over to Join In by logging into your membership account to check out other opportunities for you to get involved with your Co-op right now.
Sarah Benson
Marketing Manager for Beers, Wines and Spirits
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[…] London Dry Gin (RRP £17.49, the Co-op, 40% abv) Tasting teams of Co-op members were sent three proposed blends. They had to decide […]
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[…] year Co-op Members have helped shape three drinks, our Co-op Irresistible London Dry Gin, Co-op India Pale Ales and our Co-op Members’ Choice Pioneer Pinot Grigio. Thousands took part in […]
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I love gin, but don’t want to ruin the taste by putting low-cal tonic in it, as I dislike the taste of sweeteners. Will the Co-op please consider stocking a brand of tonic that is sweetener-free.
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Can’t wait to get some. Just thought I would point out that the comment about it being the only female master gin distiller must be a a tiny bit false. Here’s two, both of which are incredibly successful. http://theginqueen.com/meet-the-distiller-anne-brock-jensens-gin/ https://www.arbikie.com/get-know-arbikies-master-distiller/
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Must be getting made by Kirsty Black from arbikie as she is an award winning gin master,hope so ,cos arbrikie Kirsty gin is one of our favourites
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Great Story.
Perhaps the picture of it being pored into kids drink cups on a train is not an ethical point to convey
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Thanks for your feedback, Paul.
^Sophie
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Hi Eileen, I believe the gin will be on the shelves in November. ^Catherine
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Hope this appears soon . Sounds interesting .Gin is such a popular drink now with different Tonics .
Fever seeming to be the favourite. Maybe the coop should be looking at a new tonics and accompaniments.
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Great innovation
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