The Nicholson Family can trace their roots, and their Gin, all the way back to 1736.
This was when they were originally founded, and by 1808, they were one of the biggest Gin producers in Britain. From here, they championed the London dry style, and are perhaps the reason that it still exists today.
The business thrived and over the next century their reputation grew. They are even mentioned in the Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930, as well as The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book, both of which were well respected in their time.
Over the following century, having been moved between different companies and owners, Nicholson Gin lost a lot of their business and their reputation, but the history was there, as was the recipe.
Then, in 2017, two cousins and descendants of the original Nicholsons, Tim Walker and Nicholas Browne, decided it was time the mighty name of Nicholson Gin made a comeback.
They breathed new life into the brand, trawling through company archives to find inspiration and develop a new image.
The cousins were moved by the massive boom in Gin that has happened over recent years, and they thought it was time to revive an old classic, and one of the original pioneers of British Gin.
The resulting product is a homage to that classic Gin, as well as a refreshing exploration in the London Dry style.
This Gin is wonderfully traditional, harking back to the great Gins that came before it. It does not shy away from its ancestry, but rather embraces it and complements it.
It has a fairly typical make up, with juniper and ten botanicals including cinnamon, angelica root, orange peel, lemon peel, cassia bark, orris root, coriander, nutmeg and liquorice.
Despite its fairly uniform make up, this is a wonderful Gin and certainly captures the spirit behind a good London Dry.
The nose opens with whiffs of lemon and angelica. Swirl the glass and the aromatic notes of cinnamon and nutmeg really come through.
These are deep and rich, with lots of punch behind them.
The palate is sweet, with more citrus flavours and a heavy dose of juniper. There is a woody quality to these flavours that gives them a really rich character.
The liquorice comes through brilliantly and again, adds a lovely depth to the flavours.
The finish is dry and hearty, with lots more juniper and a great blast of citrus.
Nicholson’s is a classic Gin that is definitely not to be missed. It is a real throwback to the glory days of Gin and can be appreciated as the classic that it is.