The global gin market is booming, and nowhere is that clearer than in Asia, where exciting new distilleries are experimenting with bold flavours
Crimson Pangolin
Changsha is home to some of the purest water in China, used as a key ingredient in one of the country’s first craft gins. Crimson Pangolin features juniper from Shandong and a blend of eight botanicals sourced from Hunan, Hainan and Sichuan. The lengthy 48-hour infusion process is behind its golden hue – apt as gin in Chinese is known as jin jiu, or golden alcohol. What you get is a unique gin with overtones of coriander seeds and undertones of citrus fruits.
Tanglin Gin
Singapore’s first operating distillery in 40 years tips its hat to the Tanglin area’s spice-growing past. Their debut offering, Tanglin Orchid Gin, pays tribute to the country’s national flower by mixing traditional botanicals with two types of orchid, powdered unripe green mango, vanilla beans and oranges. A Mandarin Chilli option is set to launch this year. Tanglin Orchid Gin is available in local bars, like 28 Hong Kong Street and Atlas, and at Changi Airport DFS.
Brass Lion Distillery
Located off Singapore’s West Coast Highway, in a business park, this new distillery offers visitors a tour, a two-hour gin-making workshop or drinks at the in-house bar. Their Brass Lion Singapore Dry Gin features ingredients such as galangal, kaffir lime leaf and bunga kantan (torch ginger). Variants include Pahit Gin, named for a colonial-era cocktail; Butterfly Pea Gin, a spicy twist on the original; and the upcoming Curry Leaf Gin.
SEE ALSO: Fast facts about gin through the years
This article was originally published in the November 2018 issue of Silkwinds magazine.
