Killowen Distillery has created a new Irish Gin, Hint, exclusively for Lidl as part of their Kickstart Programme and will be available in stores from Thursday 12th August 2021 across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Taking inspiration from the beautiful setting of Killowen Distillery in the heart of the Mournes in County Down, where horizons are framed by sweeping hills that slope gently into the sea. Along with childhood memories of summers picking blackberries and pulling rhubarb for homemade desserts, the Killowen team took the finest native botanicals to create the base for the gin then infused it with a blend of locally grown and exotic additions to create two new gins – ‘Blackberry, Orange and Rosemary’ and ‘Rhubarb Heather & Hibiscus’.
With many blackberry gins and orange flavoured gins already on the market, the Killowen team decided to combine these two flavours.
The blackberry with its sweet, slightly tart and earthy undertones balanced with the bittersweet of orange peel needed a little something extra and so for a grounding of flavour Rosemary was added.The result is an inviting natural fruity aroma, when tasted bursts of blackberry and orange are noted with a gentle background of rosemary balancing so as not to become too sweet.
For the Rhubarb flavour rather than going for a spiced finish which does work well, the Killowen team wanted to go down another route.
Taking Heather from the locality with its mellow floral and sweet character it balanced well against the tart of the rhubarb. To add another depth of flavour and colour hibiscus was chosen for its cranberry like flavour that enhances the tartness of the rhubarb with out overpowering the heather. The hibiscus also gave the gin its pink blush. The natural ingredients used resulted in a wonderfully fragrant gin that gives you a 'hint' of its ingredients without being too perfumery, and so it was Hint was born!
To enjoy serve with your favourite tonic over lots of ice for a delightfully complex G&T with a little hint of something natural!
Slán go fóill,
Danny