The East London Liquor Company, or ELLC for short, are bringing the art of distilling back to East London.
They are the first distillery there in over 100 years, and they are certainly doing a good job so far.
This craft distillery was started by Alex Wolpert in 2012. Wolpert has a background in setting up new venues and restaurants, including being the Operations Manager at BarWorks where he set up sites amongst other things.
He quickly found a suitable site near Victoria Park and recruited Jamie Baxter for R&D pre-distilling kit arrival, who has extensive experience in setting up new distilleries and Gin brands, including Burleigh’s Gin and City of London Distillery. Then Tom Hills stepped in to take on all product development and kit installation in the role of Head Distiller.
Together they made the perfect team, and the East London Liquor Company was off to a good start, having started distilling July 2014 and have lots of plans for the future, including a Rye Whisky that will be released towards the end of 2018.
This is an exciting endeavour and the brand are already being recognised for their efforts, having won a Gold for Consumer Experience and a Master for Distillery Innovation at the 2016 Distillery Masters.
They currently have a small but varied range of spirits, including several Gins that have been lauded by critics and consumers alike.
Their London Dry is made up of seven botanicals including, juniper, cubeb, angelica root, coriander seeds, lemon peel, grapefruit peel and cardamom.
This is a wonderfully typical London Dry, with lots of juniper and a little bit of spice.
The nose opens with fresh citrus fruits and juniper. The lemon is refreshing and exciting, with a lovely bite and tang to it.
The grapefruit is subtler, but with a bit of warming it starts to come out. It goes perfectly with the piney juniper and adds a slightly earthy tone.
The nose is full of sweet notes and this Gin is recommended to go with a wedge of lime.
The palate is likewise packed with flavour, and the spicier notes really start to shine. The cardamom is rich and refined, with a little bit of heat to it.
The spice again goes well with the juniper berries. The coriander also blossoms on the palate and its natural sweetness really starts to appear.
The finish is drying and soft, with lots more citrus to end on a nice zesty tang.