The Vicar's Son Gin Holy Spirit (Navy Strength 57%) - 500ml”

Awarded a Double Gold and Best Overall Trophy at the NZ Spirit Awards in the Contemporary or Navy Strength Category. Ranked No 1 of the 87 International and New Zealand Gins entered.  

And also awarded Editor's Pick - DrinksBiz October Gin Edition:

Editor's Pick - Holy Spirit Navy Strength "Akin to a religious experience, this intensively flavoursome gin made from award-winning (and tiny) The Vicar's Son is a must try".

Best enjoyed late at night when your sure you won't be driving and have successfully achieved something momentous like running a marathon, not giving in to road rage or making a sizeable donation to an Animal Welfare Refuge.

The 500ml bottle contains 22 standard drinks which is the same as 700ml bottle of Gin at 40% ABV.

Summary

This is our Navy Strength version of The Holy Spirit - we thought the Saffron might shine more at 57% ABV rather than the standard 46% ABV - still very smooth, especially for such a high percentage and the botanicals are very intense.

The Saffron was sourced from Kiwi Saffron in the deep south and the Pink Peppercorn have been harvested from the Peruvian pepper tree. We actually distilled the saffron with the other botanicals which is why the Gin is perfectly clear (yes it took quite a lot of saffron...)

Tasting notes

In your nose you will get juniper, honey, berries, spice and subtle floral notes.

Very smooth and full mouthfeel, you wouldn’t tell it’s 57% ABV. Explosions of fruit and spice from the pink pepper, supported by juniper, the nectar of the rosemary flowers, spice and a burst of saffron with an exceptional long finish.

Tastes very nice with a touch of tonic.

Botanicals

Macedonian Juniper, Saffron, Pink Peppercorns, Rosemary Flowers, Angelica, Cassia Bark, Liquorice, Poppy Seeds, Cardamon, Nutmeg, Dried Lemonade Lemon Zest and one secret one.

Distillation Notes

This fermentation for this batch  started back in November 2022 and was then distilled four times as well as 20 vapour infusion extraction cycles.  It might not make any difference, but we also used Antipodes water in the extraction process instead of filtered water. It could make the gin just that little bit smoother.

As usual, the pure gin was diluted with carbon neutral Antipodes water to achieve 57% ABV.

BTW there are about 3 kilograms of Gladfield barley and 1,000 hours of sunshine required to fill each grain to glass Gin bottle.

Pair with Fever Tree Tonic Refreshingly Light for a lower calorie drink. Or you can enjoy with a few lumps of ice.

Enjoy!

57% ABV - 500ml (22.5 standard drinks).