Looe is a beautiful seaside resort in southeast Cornwall and just off the seafront at West Looe, the town is intersected by the River Looe, is Looe Island, once a site for pilgrims and now a sanctuary for rare plants and wildlife. For gin afficionados Looe is the home of Copperfish Distillery, an enterprising distillery that is making waves from its quayside distillery with a range of spirits including moonshine, gin, and rum.

I came across the distillery when I bought a bottle of their Original Dry Gin, which I reviewed some time ago, and I need not repeat the story of their development. Just follow the link! In my explorations of the world spawned by the ginaissance I have developed a fascination and taste for Navy Strength Gins and as Copperfish produce a Looe Gin Navy Strength it was inevitable that I would purchase a bottle from my usual supplier, Drinkfinder UK.

With an ABV of 57% it comes in a 50cl bottle, presumably to protect the innocent or unwary, but there is nothing bashful about its design. Like the Original Dry the label is deliberately reminiscent of a saucy seaside postcard, featuring a mermaid posing in front of the Looe seascape. It is certainly eye-catching if not particularly politically correct in these sensitive times. A blue circle to the left of the mermaid’s right shoulder tells me that the bottle contains Navy Strength.

The label at the rear uses a pale yellow background to good effect, making the verbiage, mainly in black and blue print, easy to read. My bottle is number 251 from batch 1. The bottle itself is cylindrical, made from clear glass, with a flat shoulder, medium sized neck and a silver cap with an artificial stopper.

Navy strength gins are normally based on the recipe of one of the distillery’s existing gins only with the volume turned to eleven and Copperfish have followed this route, basing their offering on their Original Dry Gin. Handcrafted in small batches in their bespoke 500 litre pot still, it uses a grain spirit and botanicals including juniper, coriander seed, orange peel, cinnamon bark, lemon peel, Angelica root and orris bark.

In the glass, surprisingly clear for its strength, it was just what I had hoped for, an intense hit of juniper with vibrant citric notes and long and dry finish. Lovely! If you are in to Navy Strength gins, it is definitely one to look out for.

Until the next time, cheers!