Distilled in Scotland by the Diageo Cameronbridge Distillery. A refreshing and distinctive gin made with the best hand-selected juniper berries and a secret selection of botanical ingredients. Alexander Gordon believed that the success of his gin lay in the perfect combination of pure liquor from distilled cereals and rich botanical ingredients. Fortunately, the demanding standards he set are maintained to this day.
Legend has it that members of the Gordon Clan saved the King of Scotland from a wild boar while hunting. Since then, the clan has been using a wild boar's head in their coat of arms and their gin bottles have a shield with the head of a wild boar on the packaging. Ask some pedants “What's your favorite Scottish gin?” , and they will answer “Gordon's”. Although it originated in England, the British version is currently being distilled at Cameron Bridge, in Scotland.
The variant I have was not distilled in Scotland, it was distilled in Canada and bottled in Norwalk, Connecticut. So the idea that it's from the place where it's distilled is a bit absurd. It is of British origin, but its origin has transcended the place where the grain is converted into gin. It is said to contain at least four botanical ingredients.
Juniper, coriander and angelica are repeated often and are likely to definitely be among the banknotes. Licorice, lily, orange peel and lemon are also mentioned, but slightly less frequently. The exact bill is a secret. Maybe it's a missed opportunity? Of its 4.4 million total sales (IWSR 201), Downing says that up to 70% are in Western Europe, supplied by the giant Diageo liquor factory in Fife.
Gordon's moved to Scotland in 1998 after having diluted its strength in the United Kingdom to 37.5% abv six years earlier. It wasn't a matter of increasing supply like a certain brand of American whiskey, but simply of reducing a few cents of its tax bill to compete with vodka and the rise of own-brand gin in supermarkets. In 2002, after a decade of falling shares in the United Kingdom, Gordon's underwent a £15 million relaunch, which included a new, smart bottle. As an expert in (self-proclaimed) gin and tonic with fresh lime, there's nothing better than Gordons with the Schweppes blender.
The process behind the distillation of more than 40 botanical ingredients is in many cases almost identical for a gin with just one pair. Founded in 1769 by Alexander Gordon (of Scottish descent and the same year he married) in Southwark, London, United Kingdom. London was recovering from the worst hangover in its history when Alexander Gordon opened his gin distillery there in 1769. If you're not a fan of Gordon's juniper profile and want something that contextualizes and balances it, I think tonic syrups are the best.
However, life isn't easy in the United States, where sales fell 7% last year to 645,000 boxes (IWSR) and Charlie Downing, Gordon's global marketing manager, admits that there may be a slight taste barrier with dry gin from London. I think my initial review of Gordon's might not have given the same comprehensive treatment that I've given other gins. Gin is one of the few categories, where most of the price is associated with brand perception and position. By then, the company had moved from the Gordon family and had merged with Tanqueray Gordon & Co., the world's largest gin company.
Nobody made martinis with gin anymore and, in a slightly desperate move, DCL launched Gordon's vodka in the late 1960s. The resulting high-strength neutral alcohol allowed the London dry style to develop, although the term did not appear in Gordon's distinctive green bottles until the early 20th century. .
