Gin 1689
Other gins have a story... Gin 1689 has a legend.
It begins in 1689 with William of Orange who travelled to London from the Netherlands, bringing a Dutch drink – gin – with him.
It was a hit. A BIG hit. You might have heard of it.
You might not think that the founders of 1689 Gin would have much in common with King William. After all, he was a 17th century monarch; they’re two 21st century friends from Amsterdam, but fast-forward to 2016 and they embarked on the same journey – inspired to make the same gin, made to the original 1689 recipe, a hit all over again.
Following an 18 month quest, they finally discovered one of the very earliest gin recipes in the rare books section of the British Library
- Just call them Gindiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Recipe.
Only they encountered a problem. All the ingredients were listed right there in front of us… but the quantities were in code.
That’s right: code.
Decoding the Recipe
The authors of the book – The Company of Distillers of London – had encrypted the recipe to ensure that only its members could recreate it. Great news for gin-makers of 1689; bad news for us more than three centuries years later.
What followed was a high-stakes race to crack the code. Could it ever be solved? Had the secret disappeared into history? Would the world ever be able to taste the gin that started it all…?
Not ones to be defeated, we headed back to Holland to Schiedam - the town where gin was born - and we turned to one of The Netherlands’ oldest and most experienced distilleries, to help us recreate the gin from the 1689 ingredients list alone using their centuries of spirits knowledge.
The result was 1689 London Dry Gin. History repeating itself… in a really, really good way.
A true original, it combines juniper with delicate botanicals including red quince, apple, lemon and orange peel, nutmeg, aniseed and clove.
Next came their pink gin, the Queen Mary Edition, distilled with added strawberries and raspberries, following a recipe also found on the coded document. They are both well worth the 3 centuries wait, we promise.
Try it and be part of their history.
Taste the legacy. This is Gin 1689.
The most legendary of Gins, available in two varieties:
1689 Dutch Dry Gin
A classically-styled gin with contemporary flavours like red quince and apple, Gin 1689 is history worth repeating, created using the authentic 17th century recipe from the very first Gin-aissance - and it’s well worth the 330-year wait.
Ingredients
A Dutch spirit that is Anglo styled, Gin 1689 is fundamentally a traditionally-styled juniper-forward gin, however what makes it unusual is the hints of breadiness and aniseed that you would usually expect from a Jenever. It’s a classic flavour profile, that presents in a very contemporary way. Expect classic gin on the nose, with floral, citrus and aniseed aromas, while the palate, the floral flavours are balanced by the light breadiness and piney juniper – with subtle clove, nutmeg and aniseed followed by a rounded, smooth finish.
Flavour profile
Gin 1689 combines the juniper with classic gin flavours of nutmeg, aniseed, clove, lemon and orange peel along with more delicate botanicals including red quince and pippin (apple), and it is well worth the 330-year wait.
ABV 42% | 700ml | RRSP: €34,95
1689 Dutch Pink Gin
A blushing expression based on the original 1689 gin recipe found deep in the annals of the British Library. Strawberries and raspberries are added to the distillation process, giving the spirit a pink hue and a fruity flavour: the original fruit-flavoured gin!
Ingredients
A Dutch spirit that is Anglo styled, Gin 1689 is fundamentally a juniper-forward gin, with classic Jenever-styled hints of breadiness and aniseed. The Pink Edition adds natural juicy strawberry and tart raspberry flavours for a slightly jammy taste with hints of spice, with a dry & smooth, piney juniper finish.
Flavour profile
The Pink Gin edition is based on the footnote found on the original recipe: adding strawberries and raspberries to the distillation of our original Gin 1689, combining with the juniper, red quince and pippin for a pink-hued liquid with a wonderfully fruity taste... the original fruit-flavoured gin!
ABV 38.5% | 700ml | RRSP: €34,95
