Silent Pool has a fairly standard origin story. It was started by some friends, Ian McCulloch and James Shelbourne, when they decided to make their Gin dreams a reality.
What is perhaps more interesting about Silent Pool, is where they get their name from. The distillery itself is founded on Albury Estate, which belongs to the Duke of Northumberland.
And the pool it is called after has a rather uneasy history.
Legend has it that the owner of the estate’s daughter decided to take a dip in the pool and was stumbled upon by none other than Prince John. He took one look at her and thought she would make the perfect girlfriend. She took one look at him and thought it would be better to swim away fast.
And she did so, only to reach the middle of the pool and drown.
So unfortunate beginning aside, the Silent Pool as it became known, is now home to Silent Pool Distillery, where some pretty decent Gin is made.
The producers hoped to capture the beauty and essence of the distillery’s surroundings, and with 24 different botanicals, many of which are sourced locally, they mange to do this with ease.
These include juniper, cardamom, cassia, orris, coriander, liquorice, elderflower, chamomile, pear, angelica, lavender, bergamot, bitter orange, cubeb, rose petals, grains of paradise, honey, kaffir lime leaves andlinden flowers.
That’s quite a list, and each flavour melts wonderfully into the next when it comes to taste.
Silent Pool use a staggered distillation, adding different elements at different times to allow the flavours to fully develop.
This makes for a well-rounded and satisfying Gin that has a light body and gentle dryness.
The nose opens with lots of floral notes and a lovely sweetness coming from the honey. It is reminiscent of walking through a meadow, surrounded by tall grasses and flowers.
The lime can be detected here too, with a mouth-watering bitterness to it that just beckons the taste buds.
On the palate, the flavours are smooth and bountiful, with more spices and aromatic notes coming out.
The juniper, cassia, bergamot and pear really show themselves here, offering some more savoury notes for the sweeter tones to bounce off.
The lavender and rose petals are subtle on the palate, but offer a wonderful floral quality.
The finish is soft, with more citrus and earthy notes coming through.
