Origianlly published on Seoul After Hours blog
Cocktail bar culture is quickly picking up pace here in Korea (namely in Seoul), tasting and seminar events are held more and more often. On those occasions, members of the growing bar community (bartenders, bar managers and owners as well as alcohol distributors) can get together and network away, while tasting unique spirits. Also, daytime drinking is something that makes everybody delightfully merry (although going back to work afterwards can be a bit painful, sometimes).
September kicked off with ‘Gin Experience’, organized by Korea Bartender Guild and Barmade (bar equipment store, in collaboration with Pernod Ricard Korea (distributor of Beefeater Gin, among others). It should be noted that the spirits offered for the tasting were by no means limited to those on Pernod Ricard list.
Since until recently Korea alcohol import laws were very strict (and relatively still are, compared to, say, neighboring Japan), the gins available on the market are few and far apart (with brands like Hendricks or Tanqueray being recent introductions), so everyone was excited for the tasting session.
The event took place in Twice, an elegant lounge bar located in the heart of Cheongdamdong, an exclusive, upscale district of Seoul, home to a number of really fine cocktail bars. The 70+ participants gathered at the bar, equipped with an informational leaflet on gin (types, botanicals, history) and a bottle of Thomas Henry tonic water each. The organizers went beyond themselves and came up with a long and interesting list of samples (see the list after the cut). While catching up with the colleagues, we could enjoy nose and taste pallets of products from UK, Canada, US, Denmark, India and others.
My only disappointment would be that Poland’s pride, Gin Lubuski, didn’t make an appearance, but I guess I should make sure it does during the next event.
The Gin Experience was defiantly something very needed here in Seoul. Us bartenders have still to learn the pallets of different spirits, and with the availability restrictions (on top of horrendous prices for import products) it’s by no means an easy feat. The more of big shout out of thanks to KBG and Barmade for organizing events like these.
Please, enjoy pictures (of dubious iPhone quality) below.
<Bar ready for tasting>
<Luxardo, Boodles, Doornkaat German Dry Gin, Brooker’s, Fifty Pounds>
<Death Door, G’vine (Flaraison and Nouaison), Nolet’s Silver, Plymouth, Kingston>
<Koval, Leopold’s, Blackwood’s, 1911 Gin, Ford’s>
Links:
Moonfruit Beverages Ltd, distributor of Thomas Henry’s
<Gin Sample List>
BEAFEATER 40%
BEAFEATER 47%
BEAFEATER SUMMER EDITION 40%
BEAFEATER 24 45%
BEAFEATER BURROUGH’S RESERVE 43%
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE 47%
STAR OF BOMBAY 47.5%
BOMBAY EAST 42%
THE ORIGINAL BOMBAY 40%
BOMBAY AMBER 40%
TANQUERAY 47.3%
TANQUERAY NO.10 47.3%
TANQUERAY MARACCA 40%
TANQUERAY RANGPUR 41.3%
TANQUERAY OLD TOM GIN 47.3%
SEAGRAM’S EXTRY DRY CANADA 40%
SEAGRAM’S EXTRY DRY OLD BOTTLE(1) CANADA 40%
SEAGRAM’S EXTRY DRY OLD BOTTLE(2) CANADA 40%
SEAGRAM’S LIME TWISTED CANADA 35%
1911 GIN USA 44%
MONKEY 47 SCHWARZWALD DRY GIN 47%
BROKER’S UK 40%
WILLIAM CHASE ELEGANT UK 48%
LUXARDO ITALY 37.5%
MIKKELLER BOTANICAL GIN DENMARK 44%
BOODLES BRITISH UK 40%
DOORNKAAT GERMAN DRY GIN GERMANY 44%
LONDON NO.1 SPAIN 43%
LEOPOLD’S USA 40%
SIPSMITH VJOP UK 47.7%
BLACKWOOD’S SCOTLAND 40%
KOVAL USA 47%
DEATH’S DOOR USA 47%
TARQUIN’S UK 42%
GILT SCOTLAND 40%
MARTIN MILLER UK 40%
JSESEN LONDON DRY UK 43%
EYQUEBELLE FRANCE 40%
NO’3 UK 46%
BOTANIST UK 46%
NO.209 USA 46%
HENDRICK’S SCOTLAND 44%
G’VINE FLARAISON FRANCE 40%
G’VINE NOUAISON FRANCE 43.9%
GORDON’S THE ORIGINAL UK 37.5%
GORDON’S UK 43%
GORDON’S UK 40%(OLD BOTTLE)
PLYMOUTH UK 41.2%
BARTON USA 40%
CAMBRIDGE USA 40%
CORNELLY INDIA 40%
KINGSTON FRANCE 37.5%
MIX PHILIPPINES 40%
GIN MG SPAIN 40%
LARIOS SPAIN 37.5%
NOLET’S SILVER NETHERLANDS 47.6%
NEW AMSTERDAM USA 40%
FLIGHT 69 USA 40%
IVANABITCH RUSSIA 40%
GILBEY’S TRAVLER USA 40%
FORD’S UK 40%
BUCKINGHAM LONDON DRY KOREA 40%
Angry Polish Girl 