Surrey distillers Silent Pool release their Bhutan-inspired premium expression gin
For a gin that references being quiet, Silent Pool sure tell a good story.
Their original gin is named after a nearby lake, where a woodcutter’s daughter is said to have drowned, scared by a man who spied on her bathing. The woodcutter found the body and also, on the bank of the pool, the royal crest of Prince John, later evil King John of Robin Hood fame…
There’s no such historical legend with the release of Silent Pool’s new ultra-premium expression, Black Juniper Gin, just a geographical one: this gin is made from the purest, rarest black juniper, which is found only in Bhutan, and only above 4,000 metres. The gin is made in a method inspired by the Himalayan Puja ritual, a ceremony conducted by climbers and sherpas before beginning a climb, in a process that Bhutanese heritage in stages that include hand-harvesting the juniper, smoking the berries with precious oud and utilising the world’s rarest teas.
The result is… a gin of subtle smoke, delicate caramel notes, with a little spice and a long finish. And a damned good story.
Silent Pool Black Juniper Gin is available from Silent Pool’s website, and is priced at £295 a bottle.