Viticulture & Oenology Opinion South Africa

Meet the Maker: Blossom and Hops Gin

Blossom and Hops gin is distilled by Trouvaille Spirits and owned by partners Tim and Teresa James, both of whom have careers vastly different to the liquor industry. One would never guess what with their gin being so unique and beautiful but this lucky find is one that we gin lovers are all extremely pleased to have.

The beginning

As it turns out, Blossom and Hops gin was born out of a hobby and not from a history in the gin industry.

What began many years ago with simple home brewing, turned into something a little more complex when it came time to upgrade their equipment after years of use. On a whim, they decided to add a copper dome and condenser to the kit.

"As gin drinkers, we naturally started playing with distilling gin and found ourselves loving what we created. It was something that we want to share. We never set out to bring a gin into the market," states Teresa

And just like that, one thing led to another and they were selling a gin. This serendipity also led to the selection of the name Trouvaille which is a French word for 'a lucky find'. "The 'lucky find' also talks to how we ended up with Blossom & Hops – we had created a blossom gin and a hops gin and one day threw one into the other. We loved it!"

The gin profile

The name speaks for itself, describing the earthy, floral and juniper-forward London Dry style gin.

According to Teresa: "It has a heavenly perfume. In terms of taste, it has a woody, citrus (grapefruit in particular), caramel, musk and tea leaf notes with a touch of spice to finish.” With a flavour profile that complex, it is certainly one of the more intriguing gins I have ever come across and the description on the label rounds it up perfectly, “it’s familiar and unique, floral and spicy, delicate and bold.”

Image Supplied.
Image Supplied.

There are 13 botanicals that go into Blossom and Hops gin, obviously including the traditional juniper, coriander, angelica, liquorice root and citrus peels.

"We set out to create a traditional London dry gin so it was important to:

1. Incorporate these traditional botanicals,

2. Ensure a good juniper kick, and

3. Balance these botanicals to complement the signature botanicals of lime blossom (or linden blossom, as it is called in Europe) and hops - both flowers. Lime blossom and hops both feature in old 17th-century gin recipes, but we seldom see them now in gin. They are great botanicals to work with and we think they deserve a re-introduction to the modern gin palate."

The lime blossom is unique as it brings caramel, tea leaf notes with a hint of not overly sweetness. The hop is aromatic rather than bittering and gives a woody, floral and citrusy taste. "On its own, it places you in a sunny field of hay."

The botanicals

Their botanicals are sourced from both near and far with the juniper and lime blossom coming from Europe. The hops are sourced from the hops farms in the Outeniqua Mountains of the Cape. Coriander and citrus are also sourced from the Cape region.

The perfect serve for Blossom and Hops gin is a G&T cocktail with Barker & Quin Indian Tonic Water. On a hot summers day, paired with lemon and mint; on a cooler day, pear and peppercorn.

There is an exceedingly large number of stockists you can get this premium gin from ranging through Dry Dock Liquors in Parkhurst to Norman Goodfellows in Illovo, but for the full list and more info, you can visit their website.

Read the original Meet the Maker on SamSamButDifferent.

About Samantha Snedorf

Snedorf is a qualified journalist and full-time blogger. She is obsessed with gin and is trying to bring light to the enormous number of gins and talented crafters that we have in South Africa. She films weekly videos where she samples different gins and focuses on their different botanicals. In the near future, she would love to host gin tastings and sell the handcrafted botanical bags she creates. She adores travel and wants to explore the world whilst drinking gin and taking beautiful photos.
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