Distillery Behind World’s 1st Insect-Based Gin Releases Spirit Inspired by Charles Darwin’s Historic Voyage
From the distillery that brought you Anty Gin, the world’s first insect-based gin, comes Americas Herbarium, a spirit spotlighting botanicals gathered along Charles Darwin’s historic voyage across South America. (Photo: Cambridge Distillery)
In a nod to Charles Darwin’s historic voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, English spirits producer Cambridge Distillery has introduced a new gin named “Americas Herbarium.” Developed in partnership with the Cambridge University Botanic Garden under the guidance of Professor Sam Brockington, the gin pays tribute to Darwin’s botanical discoveries during his expedition across South America, The Spirits Business reported on Monday.
Aiming to create a “harmonious blend of past and present” Americas Herbarium is made using juniper, cinnamon leaf, barberry, wild strawberry and Baccharis magellanica (a hardy evergreen shrub). According to The Spirits Business, the botanicals featured in the new gin have roots purportedly linked to Cambridge University’s herbarium, where numerous samples gathered by Darwin during his travels found a home. These samples were subsequently combined with botanicals from the University Botanic Garden under the guidance of Darwin’s mentor, John Stevens Henslow.
To produce Americas Herbarium, Cambridge Distillery Master Distiller William Lowe MW employed a novo-dimensional vacuum distillation method, individually distilling each botanical to achieve the desired flavor profile. According to the distillery, this process not only upholds the historical importance of Darwin’s plant specimens but also imparts a touch of modern sophistication.
“Observing Darwin’s hand-collected samples was a moment I will never forget,” Lowe explained, per the report. “Seeing the field notes and annotations, the tears on the stems where they’d been snapped from the plants, and knowing the impact that the thoughts forming at the time would go on to have in the world is hard to comprehend.”
“The opportunity to express some part of this voyage through the medium of flavour is a career highlight for me – a truly humbling one, at that.’’
Americas Herbarium is now available on the Cambridge Distillery’s website or at The Royal Exchange’s pop-up gin laboratory in London, priced at £195 (about $238) per bottle.
Aligning with its ongoing efforts to produce gins that have never been done before, Cambridge Distillery has also debuted the world’s first insect-based juniper spirit, Anty Gin. The peculiar buggy tipple boasts citrus-forward tasting notes — sourced from the essence of approximately sixty-two wood ants.
Read next:
Sipping History: How to Make Oppenheimer’s Signature Martini
Top 5 Weirdest Ways Gin Has Been Aged
Here at Gin Raiders, we do more than write about current events in gin and spirits. We are the only media property reviewing gins and aggregating the scores and reviews of other significant voices in the gin world in one place. If you’re interested in getting a shot of gin in your morning email, sign up for our Deal of the Day newsletter.
Follow The Daily Pour:
