Hayman's Royal Dock Gin
May. 19th, 2013 11:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anteros_lmcContinuing my quest for that authentic AoS drinking experience I've now moved on from rum to gin. Hayman's Royal Dock gin to be precise. (Okay, so I just happened to run out of gin and couldn't resist buying this :) Hayman Distillers have been supplying gin to the Admiralty since 1863 under the name Senior Service Gin, but it's been rebranded as Royal Dock, after Royal Victoria Dock, the largest of the naval victualling yards and headquarters of the Navy Victualling Board. The bottle bears the crest of Royal Victoria Dock and there's a rather gorgeous picture of the dock and a tall ship on the inside of the back label.
The gin itself is rather coyly referrred to as "navy strength" which means it's 57% alcohol or a hundred proof. So if you spill it on gunpowder it will still light. Handy! Depsite its rather alarming strength I can testify that it's very tasty, though slightly sweeter than modern gins owing to the amount of liquorice in the botanicals (apparently). Also you have to be rather careful pouring G&Ts otherwise you'll be three sheets to the wind in no time!
There's a rather fascinating history of Hayman's navy gin here and some utterly riduclous, but really quite accurate, tasting notes here.
PS That's my AoS wall paper in the background. It's a screen print of an original French damask produced in 1783 at St Antoine. I really am not Ms Interior Decor, but I did fall in love with that paper :}
The gin itself is rather coyly referrred to as "navy strength" which means it's 57% alcohol or a hundred proof. So if you spill it on gunpowder it will still light. Handy! Depsite its rather alarming strength I can testify that it's very tasty, though slightly sweeter than modern gins owing to the amount of liquorice in the botanicals (apparently). Also you have to be rather careful pouring G&Ts otherwise you'll be three sheets to the wind in no time!
There's a rather fascinating history of Hayman's navy gin here and some utterly riduclous, but really quite accurate, tasting notes here.
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PS That's my AoS wall paper in the background. It's a screen print of an original French damask produced in 1783 at St Antoine. I really am not Ms Interior Decor, but I did fall in love with that paper :}
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no subject
Date: 2013-05-19 11:05 pm (UTC)I would love to try that gin. Wonder if we can get it here. (I could mix it with Irn Bru and thus try both at once...)
I have been drinking Kraken rum, this week. It has a picture of a ginormous octopus on it. Claims to be very strong. I wonder what Archie would think...
no subject
Date: 2013-05-22 09:20 am (UTC)I did think about the candelabra wallpaper, but alas, one must think of the children ;)
I could mix it with Irn Bru and thus try both at once...
Eeeew! What a sacrilegious thing to do to good gin!
I have seen Kraken rum but I haven't tried it? Is it nice?
It has a picture of a ginormous octopus on it. Claims to be very strong. I wonder what Archie would think...
About the rum or about the octopus? ;)
no subject
Date: 2013-05-20 06:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-22 09:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-20 10:13 pm (UTC)Saved the bottle as decor.
Dave
no subject
Date: 2013-05-22 09:22 am (UTC)