This month our Gin Club subscribers are enjoying Pickering's Original 1947 Gin.

Perfect for the warmer spring evenings that have eventually arrived with us, this gin is exceptionally refreshing. 

Find out more about the gin, the distillery and the people behind the brand below.

The Gin

The 1947 Original is a spicy, sweet and intense gin with cardamom, coriander, clove and cinnamon leading to a crisp and refreshing finish – it’s a decadent trip back to the last days of the Raj.

Pickering’s Original 1947 Gin is based on an original Bombay recipe, handwritten on a fragment of paper dated 17 July 1947. The recipe was kept as a family secret for over 66 years until it resurfaced in 2013 when Matt and Marcus Pickering started distilling at Summerhall Distillery. The gin was launched on 17 July 2015, exactly 68 years after the recipe was written.

The recipe includes 10 botanicals: juniper, coriander, cardamom, angelica, cinnamon, fennel, anise, lemon, lime and cloves.

How It’s Made

Everything is done by hand from preparing the botanicals to bottling and then dipping the bottles in wax to finish.

The botanicals are carefully prepared and measured before being added to the grain in one of the 500 litre copper stills. The curvaceous stills are called Gert and Emily and were named after the founders’ maternal great-grandmothers. (Rumours that these ladies were also fat and smelt of gin are roundly refuted!)

The secret to the Original 1947 Gin’s smoothness is the stills’ ingenious, custom-designed bain marie heating system. This means the botanicals enjoy a slow luxurious simmer, which coaxes out their subtle, soft, highly drinkable flavours.

The Distillery

Pickering's Gin is based at Summerhall Distillery in the heart of Edinburgh. The distillery is on the site of a converted animal hospital which now houses an arts venue, The Royal Dick pub as well as the distillery. Summerhall is the first exclusive gin distillery in the city for over 150 years.

Distillation began in 2013 with Pickering’s now producing 3 core gins plus special editions and gift sets. Pickering’s went viral at the end of 2016 with their now world-famous gin baubles. The baubles sold out in just 83 seconds!

Perfect Serve

Serve with ice, a premium tonic and a wedge of orange. Alternatively, try serving it with ginger ale & a squeeze of lemon. We’ve included both mixers for you to experiment with the gin.

To enjoy with the gin, included in the pack are handmade chocolates from Sugarsnap Chocolate & Confectionery in Glasgow. The chocolates are infused with the gin and also contain cinnamon & dried orange peel, both of which complement the gin perfectly. 

If you'd like to receive our featured gin pack in May, you can find out more information and join the Scottish Gin Club here.