On my recent visit to Constantine Stores, the unprepossessing headquarters of Drinkfinder UK, I was anxious to get my hands on a Bottle of Loveday Falmouth Dry Gin, living proof that some good things have come out of the pandemic. Three friends, Daisy Hillier, a cordon bleu chef, Chloe Gillatt, an artist and chef, and Ruth Warfield, a food scientist, found that the pandemic had brought their day jobs to a shuddering halt, but had given them the incentive to turn a daydream of harnessing their skills in recipe development, design, and alcohol production into reality.

Overcoming the not inconsiderable challenges of bubbling (not welcome in a gin) and physical distancing, they created, in the spring of 2020, their own micro-distillery, Falmouth Distilling Company, and a year later had a spirit which was ready to jostle for its space on the shelves with the other gins spawned by the ginaissance. They drew their inspiration, they claim, from the distinctive features of their special part of Cornwall, its colours, landscape, its creativity, and history.

That sense of Cornish history is reflected in the name of the hooch. Leofdaeg, in old English, was the name given to a day when attempts were made to broker peace between the querulous factions of the region. Its modern spelling is Loveday and children who were born on these days were often given the name in celebration. There is nothing better than to raise a glass of cheer to celebrate peace and harmony.

The bottle itself is a stunning piece of design work which shouts out elegance and sophistication. Made of rounded, clear glass, it has a short neck and an enormous wooden stopper, rather like that found on Rosemullion Dry Gin, with an embossed copper seal and an artificial cork interior. The label runs vertically up the front of the bottle and is elegant simplicity itself, stripped bare to just provide the essential information. At the rear of the bottle is another label, this time providing a tad more information mixed with the obligatory marketingese. On the reverse of the rear label, and plainly visible if you look through the bottle from the front, is some artwork featuring botanicals in yellow. My bottle was batch number 5 and distilled by Chloe. Thanks, Chloe.

Aside from juniper, the principal botanicals are samphire, fennel, and bell heather, all foraged from the local area. The stopper comes off with a reassuring plop and to the nose there is distinctive and comforting smell of juniper combined with the more mineral tones of the samphire. It is a beautifully clear spirit in the glass and in the mouth, it is bright and breezy with a complex mix of juniper and samphire to the fore before with the more herby, floral textures provided by the fennel and bell heather join the party. The aftertaste lingers and leaves a slightly salty taste to the mouth and lips, as though you had been standing on the shoreline and luxuriated in the breeze coming off the sea.   

It is a really commendable effort and at 40% ABV is light enough to make that second glass almost irresistible. A decent tonic enhances its crispness and a garnish of orange is the cherry on a wonderful cake. Seek it out.

Until the next time, cheers!