Being a sucker for a stunningly well-designed gin Bottle, I could not fail to be impressed by the one housing Shivering Mountain Early Harvest Gin. It is bell shaped and the punt, the indent at the bottom of the bottle, is exaggeratedly large and green in colour, and the textured glass designed to refract the light, gives it a shimmering effect. The bottle is meant to represent Mam Tor, a 517-metre-high hill in the Peak District near Castleton, which is also known as the Shivering Mountain, which, because of the soft limestone deposits that wash away during the not infrequent rainy periods, gives the impression that the hill is moving and shivering.

The co-ordinates of Mam Tor are embossed on the bottom of the bottle and “Forged and foraged for Peak perfection” appears on its slender shoulder. “Shivering Gin Mountain Distillery” is embossed just above the bottle’s centre. The neck is slightly longer than the norm and leads to a copper top with a synthetic stopper. The labelling on the neck uses green and copper to good effect making it a rather stunning piece of design and a serious contender for my Bottle of the Year award.

One surprise is that the label at the back says that it was made exclusively for Craft Gin Club members, although that did not stop me from finding it on the shelves of the excellent Constantine Stores, home of Drinkfinder UK. Perhaps there is exclusivity and exclusivity. It also tells me that “we’ve harnessed our landscape’s immense forces, the micro climate, spring waters and botanicals to create a range of gins with a unique character, nose and finish. We call this Ginology”.        

Shivering Mountain Distillery sits on a hillside, their informative but slightly clunky website informs me, overlooking Hathersage and in its grounds, now marked by rhododendrons, is a footpath used by Charlotte Brontë as she walked from Highlow Hall to the local parish church. They use a hand-crafted copper Holstein still called Little John, after Robin Hood’s lieutenant who is believed to be buried in the village’s churchyard, to distil their range of three gins, a Premium London Dry, a Pink Gin, and the Early Harvest.

Founder Nick Malaczynski’s aim with the Early Harvest Gin is to capture summer in a bottle, using the flowers and berries that are to be found in the Peak District. The botanical line up combines the classic London Dry staples of juniper, cardamom, coriander, and angelica with the more locally sourced gorse, heather, and Szechuan pepper and the floral elements provided by elderflower, sloe and bilberry and the citric notes by Seville orange.  

On the nose the juniper and a woodiness are to the fore, but hints of warmth and spice come through. In the glass the spirit is clear but a tad underwhelming. The botanicals combine well, floral notes, a woodier spicier feel there but all seem a little muted to my taste, and it is only later that it leaves a peppery aftertaste that makes the tongue tingle.

Perhaps because I am not a great fan of flavoured gins, I felt it was an opportunity missed. There is a sense of early summer brightness for sure, but I would have liked something to leap out and grab my attention. As I searched through what are left of my grey cells, it reminded me of a less forward but pepperier Brockmans. At 40% ABV it makes for a pleasant sipping gin for a warm summer’s evening but is not one I would rush out for again.

Sometimes the expectations engendered by the packaging do not translate into the content. Such are the joys of exploring the ginaissance.

Until next time, cheers!