Da Mhile seaweed gin

Da Mhile seaweed Gin :42%ABV

Botanicals: juniper, seaweed, undisclosed

Flavour profile: savoury

Garnish: samphire

Seaweed gin from Wales, anyone? Well, it’s certainly a talking point and I was intrigued enough to try Da Mhile (pronounced da-vee-lay) as soon as it was released on, appropriately, St David’s Day in March 2014.

The original idea was to create a gin to complement seafood, and to this end the number of botanicals from the existing Da Mhile Botanical gin were cut down and other soft herbs and spices introduced to achieve their chosen flavour profile.  The gin is then infused with seaweed, handpicked from the Newquay coast, for three weeks before being triple-filtered and bottled.

The seaweed  gives the gin a subtle shade of green, set off nicely by the lovely teal label; all very tasteful.

On the nose the gin has a, dare I say it, salty sea aroma.  There is also juniper, with floral and herbal notes evident.

 When tasted neat, opinion was split at Theginman HQ; one loved it, one was indifferent, one loathed it. It is an audacious gin, very forward and complex when tasted neat, savoury with hints of eucalyptus and mint and a delicious lasting salty and warm finish.

The recommended serve is from an oyster shell! Tongue in cheek I guess, but I would happily drink this on the rocks.

We tried it in a martini and the more negative opinions began to soften; it really does make a good martini.

In a G&T the flavours were still distinctive but despite experimenting we felt the garnishes we used were wrong; a trip to the HarBAR in Brighton showed us how to mix a G&T using Da Mhile seaweed gin. A truly stand out drink and a credit to the bar staff; ice, Fever Tree, garnished with samphire, orange peel, juniper berries and white peppercorns. 

At this stage, opinion was two very much in favour and one wavering. But surely that’s the point of craft gin; to polarise opinion, to be different, to be brave, to be innovative. We salute you Da Mhile, cheers!