‘The World’s Most Distinctive Gin’: Silent Pool Celebrates Bhutanese Heritage With Gin Made From Rare Juniper

Silent Pool’s latest gin is made using special botanicals sustainably sourced from the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. (Photo: Silent Pool Gin)

Produced in fellowship with Bhutanese Buddhist environmental beliefs, Silent Pool debuts its latest premium spirit, Black Juniper Gin.

According to Retail Times, Black Juniper’s multi-stage production celebrates Bhutanese heritage through the use of scented smoke, rare juniper and tea often associated with a ceremony for those beginning a journey up the summit of a mountain. The ceremony is called the Himalayan Puja ritual and is considered a rite of passage, aiming to connect sherpas and climbers with Sagamartha, the Nepali name for Mount Everest.

“In our quest to create the world’s most distinctive gin, we sought the rarest and purest juniper and found it in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan,” Silent Pool wrote. “Our juniper only grows above 4000 metres in pristine mountain air and sunshine.”

“It is sustainably collected by a resident team in the mountains who know exactly where this jewel of Bhutan can be found,” the distillery continued. “Sipping Black Juniper Gin introduces you to the finest ingredients in the world in a complex but delicate layering of flavour to create a uniquely ethereal taste and aroma.

Beyond the rare juniper, which is smoked with fragrant oud, Silent Pool’s latest gin includes sustainably sourced cloud tea, coriander, voatsiperifery (a close relative of black pepper), grains of paradise, Tasmanian mountain pepper, Nepalese cherry blossom, manuka honey and olive leaves.

“Genuinely innovative projects are integral to us here at Silent Pool Distillers,” said Marketing Director of Silent Pool Distillers, Rhian Billington, per Retail Times. “Working closely with Michael Rutland OBE, the United Kingdom’s Honorary Consul in Bhutan, this private commission of Black Juniper berries has allowed us to create a truly remarkable gin expression that exceeds the expectation of our discerning customers and fellow gin producers alike. It was also important to us that we could incorporate Bhutanese culture into each step of Silent Pool Black Juniper Gin’s production and we are excited to see the reaction to this truly remarkable spirit from Silent Pool Distillers, and where it may lead us to as an independent gin distillery.”

Black Juniper is now available for purchase online, priced at £295.00 ($362.21) per 1000 ml bottle. This price also ranks it among some of the most expensive gins currently available for purchase, as the average gin is priced at about $40.

No stranger to producing good gin, Silent Pool’s classic expression was deemed one of the best floral-forward gins to try this year. Read about it and other top flowery gins here.

Silent Pool Black Juniper Gin Tasting Notes, Via the Brand

Nose: Clean and pronounced. Perfume and incense with a subtle smoke. Underpinned with pine-rich juniper and a warming spice.

Palate: Silky and pronounced mouth feel. Strong juniper graciously subsides into perfumed agarwood. A spiced pepper foundation is complemented by an amalgamation of distinctive teas with delicate caramel notes. A well-rounded profile sees each flavour complement the last in this impressively considered gin.

Finish: Long and complex, slightly smoky and perfumed finish. A beautiful celebration of classic dry gin and contemporary execution.

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