SHAG
ROCK
GIN
- SMALL BATCH CRAFT GINS -
SHAG
ROCK
GIN
- FROM DEVON -
ORIGINAL local
AWARD WINNING
The Shag Rock story started in December 2020. The wind was gusting force seven. Occasional showers swept across Meadfoot Beach. Waves crashing against the small outcrop lying in the bay. Undeterred four folk went foraging in search of botanicals. After some hours their mission was complete. The basis for a new, deliciously different gin was established. At that point the task of realising the Shag Rock Gin concept was handed to Dom O'nions, award winning distiller of Teignmouth based Thunderflower gin. Using the infusion process, he has created the unique, crisp, enticingly aromatic taste of Shag Rock's landmark gins.
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ENTICINGLY moreish
DEVON BORN AND BRED
Shag Rock uses vapour infusion to gently extract the flavour from our chosen botanicals which produces a smoother tasting spirit. We also use one shot distillation which means what you get is simply the result of the infusion process with nothing added apart from the pure Dartmoor water which is used to dilute the spirit. After distillation we allow our gin to rest for several weeks before bottling by hand and numbering each bottle. The process is measured, unhurried to ensure consistent quality with every distillation. The result is distinctive, dry, refreshingly aromatic nose with a hint of citrus notes. A landmark gin which reflects its place of conception. Beautiful, sometimes ethereal Meadfoot Beach and the silent sentinel that guards its entrance. Shag Rock.
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
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Devon is a county blessed. Blessed with an abundance of nature both on land and seas that wash its coastline. All of which have a part to play in the shaping of the unique flavour of Shag Rock. So to find the botanicals which would form the backbone of our taste profile we foraged the shoreline that Shag Rock overlooks. Amongst many options we finally settled on three. Fennel, sorrel and sea buckthorn. To these were then added coriander, angelica, Macedonian juniper, lemon verbena, heather and lemon peel. After much experimentation that eureka moment arrived and Shag Rock became real.
TRADITION RE-INVENTED
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Navy strength? Basically it’s all to do with gunpowder. Back in the day when ships had sails and guns were cannons, both gin and rum were stored below deck in wooden barrels together with the gunpowder. If the gin or rum barrels started leaking and soaking into the gunpowder, the alcohol content had to be at least 57.15%. Anything below that and the gunpowder would not burn. That's the history but what about the gin? Well we've trodden a different path with our Navy to that of many distillers who simply add less water to arrive at 57%. Shag Rock Navy is derivative from its older brother but has its own distinctive taste profile with slight stronger hints of fennel and sorrel. We think it blends particularly well with vermouth and herbal liquors to make remarkably good cocktails.
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- 50.4543O N, 3.5074O W -
Shag Rock is comprised of Devonian Limestone unique in Western Europe, and located within the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark which is geologically renowned for its 350-400 million year old Marine Devonian limestones. It has seen vast extremes throughout the ages, from a tropical warm seascape to the landscape of a Permian desert. Today Shag Rock is a temporary resting place for the birds from which its name derives. The shag is a species of cormorant, goose-sized, long-necked and the inspiration for our bottle which follows a similar, distinctive shape.
SUGGESTED servings
SHAG ROCK G&T
1 measure Shag Rock poured over ice
Good splash of Fever Tree Aromatic tonic water
Generous slice of Orange
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SHAG ROCK SCURVY
1 measure Shag Rock Navy poured over ice
Good splash of freshly squeezed orange juice
Generous slice of Orange
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