Gin Festival Nottingham Review

A few weeks ago I was invited to the Gin Festival Nottingham as their Guest Blogger, they asked me try some gins and report back to them.

I am a complete gin novice, so was a little apprehensive about the afternoon and whether i'd find anything I actually liked, but with the gin book in hand and the lovely gin festival glass we started our gin adventure.

First off, we headed to the brand area, where we were giving the opportunity to sample some of the gins available at the festival and find out a bit more about how they are made.

We started with the Masons Yorkshire Tea gin, this went down very well and for the first time I actually enjoyed gin, we moved onto the normal Masons gin which was lovely and then tried the Lavender gin which to my surprise worked well, the lavender really came through and it was refreshing with the lovely Fever Tree tonic water.

Also offering samples in the brand area were Adnams, Pinkster, Robin of Locksley and Brockmans, whose gin was the most unique out of the many we tasted on the day

After we’d had a few tasters in the brand area, including a little taste of one of the cocktails, we headed back to the main bar area, here they had music playing throughout the festival, which provided a nice backdrop to the event.

To make the most of the experience, I shared the gins with my husband. We started off with Blackwoods Vintage 60% and Masons. Having not really drunk gin before, there were a lot of new tastes and the range of Fever Tree tonics really complemented these.

Next we tried the Tarquin Single Estate Cornish Tea Limited Edition and Gin Mare. These contained some of the more outlandish garnishes, with the Hibiscus Flower served in the Tarquin Gin adding an element of the theatrical by turning the drink pink.

We then made our way to the masterclass area to watch the presentation by Masons, i'm really glad we did, as Sophie, who was there representing them was full of information about the whole Gin history. It was a great way to find out more about the drink that this event was all about and where it originated from.

After the masterclass, we decided to grab a couple of cocktails, the waitress talked us through the menu and we had a chat about the different gins available. I chose a Drunken Tulip, which was Fords Gin with Prosecco, pomegranate juice, elderflower and fresh lemon, it is the perfect drink for summer. We also started to get a little peckish, so we grabbed some rather tasty Corkers crisps from the tuck shop, this is a great idea for those wanting something to nibble on with their drink. It also served nuts, popcorn, crisps, olives and more.

Once we'd munched our way through the crisps and finished our cocktails, we tried the Silent Pool and Sipsmith's VJOP. This Sipsmith gin is 57.7% Abv, which makes it one of the stronger gins at the festival. It was really tasty and surprisingly smooth considering the strength.

And finally, we chose the Whitley Neill and Bathtub Old Tom, having tried a rum from the makers of the Old Tom we had hoped for good things and we weren’t disappointed. It was a real treat and the bottle is just as fantastic as the taste.

The festival was now starting to wind down until the evening session, it had been a quiet afternoon and not at all as busy as I’d expected. The large conference centre offering ample room for the sold out session, it certainly made it feel less rushed than I’d imagined.

Our final stop was a chat with the ladies at the Gin Explorer stand, a monthly gin subscription which sounds perfect for a few members of our family and maybe now even me, the perfect way to try different gins direct to your door.

Overall we had a fantastic time at the Gin Festival and both my husband and I left with a new found love of Gin and are ready to stock up on a few of our favourites for some summer cocktails and G&Ts in the garden.

NB: We were given complimentary tickets and drinks for the Gin Festival, all words and opinions are my own.