Twisted Nose Premium Dry Gin – World Gin Award Winner – 70cl Gin Bottle

Product Information

This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. Nestled in the heart of Winchester, a city steeped in history, Winchester Distillery is a true gem of British craftsmanship. With meticulous attention to detail and a dedication to sourcing the finest botanicals, they have earned a reputation for producing exceptional spirits that embody the essence of their surroundings. Caught in glinting, swirling, blue-green glass, Twisted Nose invites you to taste with your eyes even before you’ve pulled the oak stopper to breathe in the fragrance as you pour the spirit. The taste is intensely herbaceous yet delicately floral, beginning with soft sweet citrus notes, developing spicy undertones and finishing with a peppery sparkle from the fresh watercress grown at the distillery.

Bowler’s appreciation for the spirit goes beyond producing Twisted Nose Gin. He also opens his doors on Saturday afternoons to run distillery tours, and runs a gin school in which visitors can blend their own bottles from his ever-increasing range of botanical distillates. At last count there were 75 flavours to play with, so attendees can expect to make something very unique. Nestling at the western end of the South Downs Way, surrounded by the rolling Hampshire countryside, clear chalk streams and watercress beds for which the county is known, you will find Winchester Distillery, home of Twisted Nose Watercress Gin. Twisted Nose Gin takes your senses on a journey into Hampshire’s fragrant green world of watercress, crystalline chalk streams and long summer days spent at the water’s edge. Twisted Nose Gin is presented in a beautiful glinting, swirling, blue-green glass bottle. Twisted Nose invites you to taste with your eyes even before you’ve pulled the oak stopper to breathe in the fragrance as you pour the spirit.Presented in a bespoke bottle that ripples and refracts like the surface of a stream, Twisted Nose is a vibrant celebration of provenance and place. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. This was no easy task: “Botanicals act differently when together and the resulting flavours change markedly at different scales, so I had to tweak the recipe until the balance was just where I wanted it.” He didn’t get it right on the first, second or even third attempt. Or even the fourth… In fact, it wasn’t until batch 84 that Bowler had a product he was happy with. A long journey perhaps, but one that sounds as if it was rewarding when you listen to him describe it and, as gin fans, one that we’re glad he undertook. Too many settle too soon and his gin has benefited from the meticulous finessing that took place. Initially selling gin at Hampshire Farmers’ Markets and through local pubs and restaurants meant that Paul got to know more and more locals who were also passionate about their food and drink. Those people, to who we owe thanks for helping us get where we are today, are still loyal supporters and many have become friends along the way.

Twisted nose is a (rough) translation of watercress’s Latin name – Nasturtium, which in turn is very possibly a nod to its bitter, peppery taste (and that pre-sneeze walnut your face turns into after a pinch of something spicy). Other local botanicals that make their way into the gin include Hampshire grown lavender alongside coriander seed from the South Downs. The rest – juniper, grapefruit, cassia, fennel, liquorice, orris and angelica – are sourced from much further afield. Launched by Paul Bowler in 2014 from his small home kitchen in central Winchester, and now based a few miles outside the town in Old Alresford, Winchester Distillery is home to hand-crafted premium spirits using traditional methods and botanicals sourced from the surrounding landscape, such as watercress, lavender and coriander. Raksi is distilled from millet or rice, and every tiny roadside bar, or bhatti we went into over a few months in Nepal seemed to have a different version of their own making. Some are more like tequila, some more like sake. All are incredibly strong, something to be grateful for in the depths of a Kathmandu winter. Twisted Nose Gin has an overtly herbaceous note, with the lightly floral lavender bolstering the green, bushy watercress. The roots do their work, with liquorice bringing a syrupy sweetness to the nose that is neatly cut with bright, acerbic grapefruit. The nose is full and it’s an inviting smell indeed - one we can’t quite wait to delve into…

Winner of 2 spirit awards

Not that Twisted Nose Gin is the only string to Bowler’s bow. He’s got a Wasabi Vodka, and and Oak-Aged Gin under the Twisted Nose brand, and a variety of both seasonal and permanent gins under a different mantel - Hampshire Gin. These varieties will keep flowing, with the second brand allowing him to experiment as much as possible without treading on Twisted Nose’s toes. The result is an intense, fragrant and vibrant gin. We think it's the most refreshing gin we've ever tasted (but perhaps we're just a little biased). The balance Bowler strived to create has been met, there’s just the right amount of spice, just the right amount of citrus, just the right amount of green… everything is in its right place. It’s also in very clear succession - there’s a clear journey to the gin with one flavour passing the baton onto another. To support and balance the watercress it’s carefully paired with nine other botanicals – including juniper, locally grown lavender and coriander from the South Downs – which is distilled slowly to maintain their fresh and delicate aromas.

Crafted to capture the extraordinary natural habitat of where it’s made, our award-winning spirit is gently distilled with fresh, peppery watercress to give it a unique and uplifting twist. Combined with nine other carefully selected botanicals, the final result is a perfectly balanced dry gin. Each part of creation and distillation is carefully considered resulting in an intensely herbaceous yet delicately floral gin, developing into spicy undertones and finishing with a peppery sparkle. The journey in creating what is now the distillery’s signature gin, Twisted Nose, was not an easy one. In fact, it wasn’t until recipe 84 that Paul was satisfied he had achieved what he had set out to make – an intensely herbaceous yet delicately floral spirit with soft sweet citrus notes and spicy undertones finishing with a peppery sparkle. Twisted Nose Gin is a testament to Winchester Distillery’s commitment to excellence. The name itself is an homage to the locally grown watercress, a unique botanical that infuses this gin with its distinctive twist. With a nod to tradition and a dash of creativity, Twisted Nose Gin showcases a harmonious blend of botanicals that dance on the palate.Upon opening the bottle, the enticing aroma of juniper berries and fresh citrus wafts through the air. My home town of Winchester is the centre of the UK watercress industry,” founder and distiller Paul Bowler explained. “It is surrounded by beds of this wonderful plant that are fed by the pure water of Hampshire’s slow-moving chalk streams. When looking for a local twist this was the obvious choice, and it lends both herbaceous notes as well as a subtle peppery sparkle to the finished gin.” The ten botanicals, including juniper and locally grown watercress, are distilled slowly to maintain the freshness and delicate aromas and the result is an intense, fragrant and refreshing gin. The name ‘Twisted Nose’ comes from the translation of the Latin name for watercress – nasturtium officinale. It is thought that the spicy, peppery leaves were bestowed this moniker after the effect on ones nose after eating them!