New Town Gin is a range of gins crafted by the Wharf Distillery in South Northamptonshire. As a grain to glass distillery, they use their own base alcohol to create their spirits (which include gin, rum and vodka). When offered a chance to try out one of their gins, I jumped at the chance and selected the Orange & Pomegranate expression.
The New Town Gin range are premium gins, priced in the region of £25-30 for 50cl. The Orange & Pomegranate Gin I tried was bottled at 40% ABV. The gins are distilled in small batches in copper pot stills. The full range of gins available includes Lemon & Basil and Mango & Cucumber. There are also some limited edition locally-inspired gins too, including Lactodorum (the old Roman name for Towcester), and Old Silson (which pays tribute to Silverstone nearby).
New Town Gin review
I always admire distilleries that are grain to glass, and often find that there can be an added complexity to the aroma and taste of gins that use unique base spirits. Coupled with the fact that I was trying the Orange & Pomegranate gin – both botanicals that can be quite bold – I was expecting big hits of smell and flavour.
On opening the bottle, I wasn’t disappointed. That fruitiness and, pleasingly, the juniper dominate on the nose. This isn’t a shy gin, and it was good to get those bold aromas to whet the appetite. And all that promise from the aroma flows through to the taste too. There’s that really rich orange flavour, a real fruitiness overall, and it all comes coupled with a good old slug of juniper too. And there’s complexity too. Although it’s billed as orange and pomegranate, this is no two-trick pony. There are earthy and floral notes too.
How to serve New Town Gin
As always, I like to try any gin I’m reviewing in a range of servings. As this is a very flavoursome gin, it’s one that can certainly be taken neat. I’ll need to add it to our list of favourite gins that are good to drink neat when I next update it.
With mixers, I was really taken by this gin in a classic G&T – I thought it worked superbly well with Fever Tree Tonic, particularly the the ‘Refreshingly Light’ version. With the clarity of the flavours in this gin, a 1:2 gin to tonic ratio worked best I found, but that’s all down to personal preference and experimentation. As a fan of gin and ginger ale, I can also confirm that this New Town Gin is an excellent partner to a ginger ale too. Again, 1:2 gin to ginger ale ratio had me coming back for more. Pour over ice and garnish with orange peel or a wedge of orange to make a beautifully refreshing drink.
Overall, I was hugely impressed by New Town Gin Orange & Pomegranate. This is a really well-balanced gin in my view; the headline flavours are bold and clear, but not overpowering. It’s versatile and fresh, and well worth your attention.
New Town Rum review
I noted before that Wharf Distillery distil a number of spirits, including gin, vodka, liqueurs and whisky. They also create a range of rums. As an avid rum drinker, I couldn’t resist buying myself a bottle of their Black Cherry & Vanilla rum to see if this creation matched up to their excellent gin. I’m glad to say it did. The black cherry sings through this rum, with the balance and soft finish of the vanilla being the perfect complement. I appreciate that this is a gin blog, but please don’t walk past the Wharf Distillery rums either – my first bottle emptied very quickly!
Where to buy New Town Gin
In the UK, you can buy the range of New Town gins from Master of Malt, Amazon (per advert below) or direct from the Wharf Distillery website.
Disclosure
I believe in full disclosure and would highlight that I was gifted New Town Gin Orange & Pomegranate. No other remuneration was received. I only feature gins on this website that I would be happy to recommend. I really enjoyed this gin (and rum!), so it wasn’t a difficult decision to write this article!
Cheers! Andy, Founder, whichgin.com
