I'd seen it here I'd seen it there but never managed to lay my hands on any. The early reviews I'd read were great and the packaging looked stunning. Simon Difford had written and raved about BLOOM and its producer Greenall's in Class Issue 3 (July/August) and it had even won a Gold in The Drinks Business Design Awards.....
I now have some and have even shared it with a few fine folk in the industry. See the great Cocktail Sean at Callooh Callay made last week below.
Nose: Thankfully most definitely GIN - indeed, exactly as it says on the bottle - Premium London Dry Gin - light relief from the recent wave of 'boutique' gins that don't taste anything like gin. Predominatly Juniper with light, uplifted floral notes, which would be explained by the Chamomile and Honeysuckle botanicals. Sitting underneath all of that is a hint of citrus which would be from the Pomelo - a strange fruit that apparently tastes a bit like a mild grapefruit. This is all bound together by herbal and violet notes.
Taste: Incredibly soft and smooth on the palate with a silky mouthfeel and again most pleasingly GIN! Although delicate in style there is real weight given by the honeysuckle, notes of orange bitters and freshly cracked black pepper. The chamomile hits mid palate with zesty grapefruit and sweet violets, all neatly finished off with resinous pine and smooth spice.
It's funny how I'd never come across the fruit Pomelo until just recently. It's one of the botanicals in BLOOM Gin and I was amazed to find one in my local fruit and veg shop. Now I keep spotting them everywhere!
