I may have mentioned before (aka several times on all forms of social media & on the blog), that Junipalooza is my favourite gin festival. So I jumped at the chance to give you my top five must visit gins for Junipalooza 2019:
*Full disclosure, I’ve previously collaborated with Junipalooza and this post has clearly marked affiliate links, which contribute to funding the blog at no extra cost to you*
Katie’s top five must visit gins of Junipalooza 2019
My suggested Junipalooza 2019 route
In no particular order (except who is closest to the door!) here are my top five must visit gins for 2019:
1 – Renegade gin from Doghouse Distillery at stand 32
Braden and Katherine from Renegade are not only awesome people to hang out with, they also make London’s only grain to glass gin. Basically that means that Braden has a mini brewery as well as a distillery and he loves it! Their Baller vodka is amazing quality and this is what their Renegade gin and Sidewayz Sloe is made from.
Look at that rock and roll label – designed by a tattoo artist
Some very lovely spirits in fantastic packaging with just a little bit of rock and roll – you’ll have fun at this stand for sure!
2 – Gorilla Spirits at stand 25
Gorilla Spirits make Silverback Mountain Strength and Old Tom gin, as well as their own Blackback Vodka and Maraba Coffee Liqueur. Based out near Basingstoke, Gorilla Spirits are into making cocktails with their products as well as supporting gorilla conservation by donating £1 for every bottle to the Gorilla Organisation.
The Gorilla Spirits range
Support Gorilla Conversation by drinking gin – what’s not to love?
3 – Hidden Curiosities at stand 4
Hidden Curiosities gin first debuted at Junipalooza in 2018. Since then I’ve seen them focus on cocktail serves on Instagram and getting into all the best bars in London! However Jenny and her trusty side kick Chris are back for 2019 with a new gin, Aranami, which is super charged and super tasty.
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Looking at the detail on the @hiddencuriositiesgin Aranami gin – I thought I’d find #flora ?? for today’s #ginadaymay but I found a dragon too! ?? . Fitting as I’m watching the Game of Thrones finale with @misslbeverley ? . #whatskatiedoingblog #dragon #aranami #hiddencuriosities #hiddencuriositiesgin #ginspiration #❤️gin #ginlush #gintasting #gintime #ginstagram #ginforthewin #ginformation #ginoclock #gintastic #whynotgin #imbibegram #imbibe #gin #instadrinks #drinkstagram
One well worth checking out!
4 – Manly Spirits at stand 57
Manly Spirits are new to the UK gin scene, having launched over here early this year. With David on distilling and Vanessa on design, the result is a beautifully designed range of spirits, show casing Australian botanicals, including their Australian Dry Gin and Coastal Citrus Gin. They also have botanical vodkas that are sublime, a limoncello and a newly released Blackfin coffee liqueur.
The Manly Spirits range
Totally unique and a little bit of Manly in the UK.
5 – Mackintosh gin at stand N1
Heading up the newcomers zone this year is Mackintosh gin. I first met Jim and Deborah at The Gin to My Tonic Show in Glasgow, where we bumped into each other at the hotel check in! I haven’t had a chance to hear the whole story yet, however I’m interested to learn more, so you’ll probably run into me at this stand.
In fact, check out all the newcomers, this is definitely an area I enjoyed last year and plan to hang out in again for 2019.
Bonus tip
Check out the experiential zones. This year the separately ticketed (paid) experiences include:
- Warner’s live distillation of their Lemon Balm gin, with a focus on fresh botanicals
- Citadelle Reserve gin offering a unique insight into barrel aging and give you the chance to blend 150ml of your own custom gin to take home
- 6 O’Clock sloe gin, tasting sloe gins of different ages and seeing how that affects the flavour
- Franklin & Sons‘ flavour maze, taking you through all the elements of a perfect G&T
In additon there are free masterclasses being run by Merchant’s Heart and see if you can find Stig from Bareksten in his Norwegian forest, tucked behind the newcomers zone!
You can buy tickets for the experiential zones at the Junipalooza.com microsite or on the day at the festival:
Other top tips:
- Pace yourself, you can’t hit up every brand and try every gin. Plan your must visit brands and hit them up first. Everything else you fit in will be a bonus!
- Drink water! No one wants to be drunk, so make sure you are hydrated and seriously contemplate spitting to preserve your palate
- Line that stomach beforehand. Whilst there are food stalls at the show, you are better off having a full stomach before going in. This is one case where eating isn’t cheating…
- Remember you can order bottles of your favourite gins from the Gin Kiosk as you go and collect them all at the end of the session
Follow me on social media:See you there! Come say hi if you spot my red hair on the day!
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