The creators of Gin 1689 have launched The Queen Mary Edition, a pink expression of their original recipe. Alexander Janssens and Patrick van der Peet, who founded the Amsterdam Craft Gin Company, have used strawberries and raspberries to give the new product its rosy hue and fruity notes.
Gin 1689 is based on a 300-year-old recipe (during the lifetimes of King William III of England, also known as William of Orange, and Queen Mary II) that Janssens and van der Peet found in the archives of the British Library. The exact quantities were concealed by a code created by the Distillers of London company, so they acquired the rights to the recipe and tasked their master distiller back in the Netherlands with recreating it.
The liquid combines botanicals including dried quince and pippin (the Cox apple), lemon and orange peel, nutmeg, aniseed and clove.
‘We are really excited to introduce Gin 1689 – The Queen Mary Edition to the UK,’ said Janssens. ‘It is the rebirth of an ancient premium gin recipe dating back from the time that the gin craze started in the UK. I was thrilled to discover the recipe whilst working in London and spending time in the British Library, as we knew William of Orange brought his Jenever recipe over to England when he became King; the beginning of gin’s popularity.’
The Queen Mary Edition will be distributed by Distilled Brands, a UK-based agency launched in 2019 by Gary Hazell and Allan Cunningham.
38.5% abv, RRP £37.95/70cl, Distilled Brands
