Reviewed by
Evelyn
I Love Gin is such a fantastic treat for gin lovers! Every month, they’ll send you a box that contains two miniature bottles of artisan gin and two mixers to accompany them, so that you can you can make four deliciously premium Gin & Tonics at home. They select the finest gins and these are different every time, so it’s a great way to try out some brands that you may not have come across before.
February’s I Love Gin box is themed ‘The Africa To London Box‘ and inside, you’ll receive:-
- Elephant Gin (50ml)
- Whitley Neill Quince Gin (50ml)
- The London Essence Company Classic London Tonic Water (150ml)
- The London Essence Company Bitter Orange & Elderflower Tonic Water (150ml)
These products are packaged neatly inside the box with plenty of sponge cushioning to protect the glass bottles during transit (as you can see, everything arrived in perfect condition!). On top of the bottles, I found I Love Gin’s mini info booklet which provides more information about the products included and gives recommendations about how to serve them to make the best G&Ts that you’ve ever tasted.
Although I’ve tried the tonics before, both of these gins were new to me so I was very excited to try them!
Gin & Tonic No.1: Elephant Gin (45%)
Elephant Gin is an African inspired spirit that combines the classic Juniper with indigenous African plants, roots and leaves, such as the blackcurrant-like Buchu plant, African Wormwood, Baobab, Devil’s Claw and Lion’s Tail. It also includes some more familiar botanical extracts such as Apple, Elderflower, Lavender and Mountain Pine. All of the botanicals are mixed and distilled with trademark German engineering in the east of Hamburg, and are blended with locally sourced water.
The bottle design features an elephant and I was pleased to discover that each batch is named after a rehabilitated baby elephant, as 15% from every bottle of Elephant Gin sold is donated to the Big Life Foundation and Space for Elephants Foundation, both of which are dedicated to the conservation of African Elephants, which is a cause that I’m more than happy to support!
For this G&T, I mixed 1 part Elephant Gin with 2 parts The London Essence Bitter Orange & Elderflower Tonic Water and this was a match made in heaven. The African botanicals worked incredibly well with the classic dry tones of Juniper, which were further brought out my the Bitter Orange and Elderflower components of the tonic water, for a wonderfully refreshing twist on a good old classic G&T.
Gin & Tonic No. 2: Whitley Neill Quince Gin (43%)
Whilst the Elephant Gin was a London Dry variant, the Whitley Neill Quince Gin was something very different. This handcrafted gin is also inspired by Africa to complete the theme of the box, and is distilled in small batches by Johnny Neill, a direct descendant of Thomas Greenall and the last in a long line of distillers. This age-old expertise brings together eight generations worth of distilling wisdom to the present day company and has resulted in award-winning gins that balance rare African botanicals with unusual aromatics.
This gin features a deliciously sweet tang of Turkish Quince, blended with a mix of Persian herbs and African botanicals. On its own, it has a powerfully fruity flavour, bursting with citrusy zest and hints of Juniper. Combined with a straight up Classic London Tonic Water, this G&T retains those fruity zings and brings out undertones of Apricots, Peaches, Oranges and Grapefruit for a different taste experience. I loved it!
