When will indyref2 happen?

[John Lambies Doos]

Very seldom though I always have a bottle of, usually, Tanqueray 10, in the house along with some wee tins of Schweppes tonic.
I'm more of a Bitter man* with London Pride being the beer of choice.
*Aye

Gin is slowly becoming my drink of choice tbf post lockdown. Wouldn't be something I would previously have done in pub but at home, couple of beers (craft or Tennents) then couple of Gin and Tonics. That's my lot these days!! Too much to do in the mornings.

[Thistle_do_nicely]

1 hour ago, Andrew Driver said:

 How does Jockoland fare in the Gin production stakes?   

it blew my mind when i found out (relatively recently and all) how fucking massive the gin industry is in Scotland, afaik it's (still, pun kind of but not really intended but i like it) significantly bigger than whisky. Had always assumed whisky was the main/biggest spirit in production across Scotland but nope.

Can't even really name all that many brands either, especially compared to whisky off the top of my head. Edrington are iirc growing really strongly with their gins and there's that Edinburgh Gin too, think there's also quite a surprising amount of distilleries scattered across the highlands & islands.

edit: oh Eden Mill too i think?

Edited November 24, 2020 by Thistle_do_nicely

[John Lambies Doos]

it blew my mind when i found out (relatively recently and all) how fucking massive the gin industry is in Scotland, afaik it's (still, pun kind of but not really intended but i like it) significantly bigger than whisky. Had always assumed whisky was the main/biggest spirit in production across Scotland but nope.
Can't even really name all that many brands either, especially compared to whisky off the top of my head. Edrington are iirc growing really strongly and there's that Edinburgh Gin too, think there's quite a few distilleries scattered across the highlands & islands too.

There is a wee farm shop on the back road from Milngavie to Stirling - just at the cut off to Kippen. Was in there few weeks back and they must have had around 100 different brands of local Scottish Gins. Unbelievable!!

[The_Kincardine]

3 minutes ago, John Lambies Doos said:

1 hour ago, The_Kincardine said:

Very seldom though I always have a bottle of, usually, Tanqueray 10, in the house along with some wee tins of Schweppes tonic.
I'm more of a Bitter man* with London Pride being the beer of choice.
*Aye

Gin is slowly becoming my drink of choice tbf post lockdown. Wouldn't be something I would previously have done in pub but at home, couple of beers (craft or Tennents) then couple of Gin and Tonics. That's my lot these days!! Too much to do in the mornings.

G&T is a bit too 'fragrant' for me but my eldest likes it with a squeeze of lime.

Pro tip.  Buy a bottle of English potato vodka and drink it neat over ice after dinner:  https://chasedistillery.co.uk/product/chase-original-potato-vodka-70cl/

I'm not a big voddy drinker but that is as smooth as a simple spirit gets.

[John Lambies Doos]

G&T is a bit too 'fragrant' for me but my eldest likes it with a squeeze of lime.
Pro tip.  Buy a bottle of English potato vodka and drink it neat over ice after dinner:  https://chasedistillery.co.uk/product/chase-original-potato-vodka-70cl/
I'm not a big voddy drinker but that is as smooth as a simple spirit gets.

Will give it a shot. One of my good mates is Polish and always keeps his vodka in Fridge, drinks neat and swears by it.

[welshbairn]

3 minutes ago, John Lambies Doos said:

5 minutes ago, The_Kincardine said:

G&T is a bit too 'fragrant' for me but my eldest likes it with a squeeze of lime.
Pro tip.  Buy a bottle of English potato vodka and drink it neat over ice after dinner:  https://chasedistillery.co.uk/product/chase-original-potato-vodka-70cl/
I'm not a big voddy drinker but that is as smooth as a simple spirit gets.

Will give it a shot. One of my good mates is Polish and always keeps his vodka in Fridge, drinks neat and swears by it.

Freezer's better if you're drinking it straight, velvety smoothness with the right vodka.

[git-intae-thum]

2 minutes ago, John Lambies Doos said:

4 minutes ago, The_Kincardine said:

G&T is a bit too 'fragrant' for me but my eldest likes it with a squeeze of lime.
Pro tip.  Buy a bottle of English potato vodka and drink it neat over ice after dinner:  https://chasedistillery.co.uk/product/chase-original-potato-vodka-70cl/
I'm not a big voddy drinker but that is as smooth as a simple spirit gets.

Will give it a shot. One of my good mates is Polish and always keeps his vodka in Fridge, drinks neat and swears by it.

We were at a vodka tasting in Warsaw at the beginning of the year.. The potato vodkas were by far the smoothest and by and large are the best regarded in Poland.

I tried a bread flavoured potato vodka and although it sounds rank...it was probably one of the finest spirits I have ever tasted.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

Is it not the case that a lot of distilleries produce gin now instead of whisky because its an instantly available product, no casking/warehouse expense etc? 

[The_Kincardine]

1 minute ago, Andrew Driver said:

59% of all Gin exports come from Scotland.   Obv Kincardine went for a non-jockoland Gin.  

I love Jockland, mate.  It's just the Jocks I have an issue with 

Anyway, among the SE chattering classes this whole gin phenomenon is peaking - The Archers has a whole storyline about it FFS so it's clearly passe.

Navy Strength Plymouth Gin is the next big thing.  A dash of bitters in a glass topped up by a jigger of Plymouth Gin is the fashionable drink of choice amongst the S Bucks chattering classes.

Pink gin was what kept our Hearts of Oak boys afloat for 500 years, after all, and saw off the Spanish Armada.

[The_Kincardine]

1 minute ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Is it not the case that a lot of distilleries produce gin now instead of whisky because its an instantly available product, no casking/warehouse expense etc? 

Exactly this.  Industrial alcohol and a few 'botanics'.  Cheap and nasty drinking.  Not for me...

[Benjamin_Nevis]

5 minutes ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Is it not the case that a lot of distilleries produce gin now instead of whisky because its an instantly available product, no casking/warehouse expense etc? 

There are smallish gin-making operations springing up all over the place. The best near us is the Gin Bothy - absolutely lovely stuff. 

[DeeTillEhDeh]

 

 

 

Youngs Pubs used to be brilliant and their stout was excellent as was their Xmas warmer.  They also did top-notch pub food and they always ran the sort of house that you could take yer maw to for a Sunday lunch.

Another feature of Youngs pubs was that their 'ordinary' bitter was a bit light and dull and their 'special' was a bit hoppy but 'a pint of mixed' brought out the best in both beers.  Asking  for a half pint of this and another half of that has probably died on its arse (apart from a couple of places who still do a black and tan*) but it worked wrt Youngs.  Moving to Bedford ripped the arse out of their beer which is why I usually buy London Pride or go for a drink in Fullers pubs.

*Not a bigoted comment [emoji41]

 

 

My favourite black and tan was a Young's Dirty Dick or Ram Rod poured into a Double Chocolate Stout.

 

I used to drink it in either The Green Man (beside Putney Heath, just a stone's throw from where I taught in Elliott School) or The King's Arms (on Wandsworth High Street - just up from the Ram Brewery - and within staggering distance of my flat in Armoury Way).

 

[G51]

8 minutes ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Is it not the case that a lot of distilleries produce gin now instead of whisky because its an instantly available product, no casking/warehouse expense etc? 

I know of a few wee gin "distilleries" that basically bulk-buy the gin from a massive distillery (think it's in/near Grantown-on-Spey?) and simply add in some flavourings, and that's that. There's absolutely f**k all to it.

 

[DeeTillEhDeh]

Maybe we should merge this thread with the Minimum Alcohol Pricing one . . .

[emoji1787][emoji1787]

[The_Kincardine]

3 minutes ago, DeeTillEhDeh said:

My favourite black and tan was a Young's Dirty Dick or Ram Rod poured into a Double Chocolate Stout.

I used to drink it in either The Green Man (beside Putney Heath, just a stone's throw from where I taught in Elliott School) or The King's Arms (on Wandsworth High Street - just up from the Ram Brewery - and within staggering dustance of my flat in Armoury Way)

 

South West London used to be rammed (no pun) with decent boozers for the drinking classes.  I lived in Twickenham but my firm had a small 'techie' office in Richmond just opposite The Orange Tree (Youngs pub) and at least once  a month we'd use it for sales meeting that generally finish by 3pm with drinks all round.

That part of London is now given over to gastropubs which now serve ham, eggs and chips with a side of kimchi on an upcycled roof tile.

[The_Kincardine]

24 minutes ago, git-intae-thum said:

We were at a vodka tasting in Warsaw at the beginning of the year.. The potato vodkas were by far the smoothest and by and large are the best regarded in Poland.

I tried a bread flavoured potato vodka and although it sounds rank...it was probably one of the finest spirits I have ever tasted.

I bought a bottle of the vodka I linked to - and I am not a huge spirits drinker - and you're absolutely right.  Really nice stuff.

Another drink to consider is Cider Brandy. English again, but a wee tot after dinner is rich.

[Bairnardo]

27 minutes ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Is it not the case that a lot of distilleries produce gin now instead of whisky because its an instantly available product, no casking/warehouse expense etc? 

Think almost all whisky distilleries knock out gin for that reason, plus you cant sell whisky until its 3 years old minimum. Most big distilleries aren't bottlenecked by spirit production, so they can batter out alcohol all year round, cask what they can and flog the rest as gin.

I will be moving into spirit production soon incidentally. I can say that to you as Bairnardo isn't actually my real name

[Thistle_do_nicely]

edit: dunno why exactly but recent posts reminded me of something

Irn Bru in Russia is not just surprisingly popular as a soft drink on its own but has also found a bit of a niche as a popular mixer for spirits i think? Wonder if they still get the old full sugar stuff manufactured over there.

personally don't rate it as a mixer but hey ho.

Edited November 24, 2020 by Thistle_do_nicely

[welshbairn]

In my last job I had to serve about 10 Belgian 19/20 something obnoxious rich kids, and they all ordered different gins. After I poured them I couldn't remember which was which, so I just popped cucumber, lime, lemon or whatever in each and served them out randomly, but with the right fruit/veg for each customer. They were all delighted with their choices.

Edited November 24, 2020 by welshbairn

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

8 hours ago, welshbairn said:

In my last job I had to serve about 10 Belgian 19/20 something obnoxious rich kids, and they all ordered different gins. After I poured them I couldn't remember which was which, so I just popped cucumber, lime, lemon or whatever in each and served them out randomly, but with the right fruit/veg for each customer. They were all delighted with their choices.

I was the worlds worst bar man for a time, worked in sauchiehall street in a nightclub for a bit and was genuinely awful at it, folk would ask for a long vodka or a french martini and i’d just mix random shite together, most so drunk they didn’t have a clue.