First Impressions
Jamie Baxter studied biology, made crisps, built a cereal brand that Weetabix acquired, then Will Chase of Tyrells recruited him with the words: "Muesli is bloody boring. Let's make vodka instead." Two years later Baxter's vodka won Best Vodka at the San Francisco World Spirits Awards. Now he distils gin at Bawdon Lodge Farm in Leicestershire on Messy Bessy, a 450-litre Holstein copper pot still, using eleven botanicals — four of them foraged from Burleigh Wood in adjacent Charnwood Forest: silver birch, elderberry, dandelion root and burdock root.
Tasting
The nose is crisp and vibrant — piney eucalyptus with bright citrus, resinous pine and coriander. On the palate, dry and robust: generous juniper and hefty coriander with woody spice and zesty citrus, earthy orris root and parma violet providing a delicate floral counterpoint. The finish is long and warming with pine, dry juniper and black pepper spice.
The Bottom Line
Burleighs earns an 8 for the sheer quality of execution and the integrity of its foraged botanicals. The dandelion and burdock — that most English of flavour combinations — adds an earthy root complexity that distinguishes this from the craft gin crowd. Baxter also plays saxophone with a band called Beeza and the Wildcats, believing "it's the music that makes the mood and the mood that makes the moonshine." One suspects Messy Bessy agrees.
