Sipsmith VJOP is a London Dry gin which stands for Very Junipery Over Proof and is the latest addition to the Sipsmith portfolio.
The distillery was established in 2009 in London’s Hammersmith and at the time, was home to the first gin to be made in London in over 189 years.
Sipsmith VJOP is bottled at 57.7% ABV, an alcohol strength that was chosen as it struck the perfect balance of juniper.
“I didn’t set out to make a navy strength gin,” Jared Brown, Master Distiller of Sipsmith Gin told Gourmantic in a recent interview. As drinks historian, he studied the various ways juniper is introduced into a London Dry Gin over a period of two years and created a gin style like no other in history.
“Every London dry is made by one third of it,” he said. The process involves a combination of three methods. “I load the still on Friday, turn on the heat then off so it begins warms, so it sits over the weekend. On the Monday, I load in more juniper and turn on the still and begin the run. In the botanical basket, I have juniper, so the vapour rises up out of the still and hits the juniper before it goes into the commencing boil.”
“That’s the process of the VJOP, he added. “It’s the limit of where I will innovate. It’s innovating on tradition.”
The result is a gin that is well-balanced, fresh and vibrant on the palate, delivering a strong hit of peppery juniper followed by more subtle hints of coriander and citrus. Simply delicious.
Sipsmith VJOP goes well in a G&T, preferably a tonic such as Fever-Tree Tonic Water or Mediterranean Tonic Water. In a VJOP Martini, Jared recommends a 50 50 proportion of gin to vermouth. In a Negroni, the classic 1:1:1 works very well. His personal favourite involves a higher ratio of vermouth. Try it with Cocchi Vermouth Di Torino”, he suggests, 1.25 vermouth to 1 gin to 0.75 Campari.
This article was originally published on August 29, 2014 on our sister website Gourmantic.
