Description
‘Drinks entrepreneur Jason Kidd started his career with the big boys, working abroad with Diageo, Heineken and Foster’s in Australia, before moving back to Ireland. “Jenever was quite a hard drink originally, consumed by sailors, dockers, and working men; it came back through Irish and English ports at the end of trading routes, but our palates didn’t like it, so they started adding whatever botanicals they had to hand. Unlike other gins, which have a neutral grain base spirit, Blood Monkey has a malted grain base that gives it a viscosity like a white whiskey and smoky caramel notes, preceded by the lemon peel you find in other gins. But it should have more interest and less floral and citrusy notes.” Blood Monkey is not an ingredient but a reference to sailors, who drilled into a barrel to steal the liquor inside, known as “bleeding the monkey”.’ John Wilson, Irish Times
