Lighthouse Gin is, first & foremost, a New Zealand gin. Whilst the history of gin goes back to at least the mid-fifteenth century in Holl&, its true antecedents are much earlier, founded in those first experiments in the ancient & mysterious art of distilling in the presence of herbs & spices. The predominant flavour & aroma of a modern distilled dry gin will always come from juniper & coriander, but the great challenge for the distiller is to select & blend a variety of additional, exotic botanicals to impart a uniquely satisfying, balanced character to the gin. Greytown Fine Distillates is the brainchild of Neil Catherall, the company's distiller & master craftsman, & Andrew Wright, a local businessman. Their vision & drive combine with the energy & enthusiasm of distiller James Graham to form the core team responsible for bringing Lighthouse Gin to you. Lighthouse Gin is made by hand in the classic 'distilled dry gin' tradition, utilising nine botanicals in their natural state. The distillers create the gin in a 200-litre copper still, which Neil designed himself, & had specially built by local craftsmen at 2K Design in Masterton. The final formula of Lighthouse Gin must remain a secret, but the distillers believe they have achieved a distinctive & complex gin that is smooth & fresh & combines herbal, citrus, & spicy characteristics, with a subtle delicacy. The double distillation process is costly & time-consuming but results in a softer, more refined, & more approachable spirit, with each batch having its own subtle signature. To answer the question
- does this gin reach new heights? Well, from all reports coming back from the experts & connoisseurs, it does. & in the great tradition of kiwi quality & reputation, it is a worthy newcomer. Lighthouse Gin is hand crafted, hand bottled, hand labelled, & the heart cut of a small number of distillations is double distilled & combined into a batch.
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A great buy: Lillet (pronounced lee-lay), is a French Aperitif made from a blend of wine, liqueurs, fruits & herbs. It originated in the French village of Podensac & has been made since the late 1800s. Lillet Blanc is made from white wine & is drier than Lillet Rouge, its red-wine counterpart. Both are classically served over ice with an orange twist. Lillet is a blend of rigorously selected wines & fruit liqueurs, aged in oak vats for around 12 months, during which it is given the same care as the Grands Crus (great wines) of Bordeaux. Lillet Blanc has a golden colour with candied orange, honey, pine resin, lime & fresh mint aromas. Full & rich on the palate with a lovely, long aftertaste. Always serve well chilled in a Bordeaux wine glass... zest with a slice of orange or lime. Perfect with snacks & desserts! Lillet blanc is the key ingredient in James Bond's Martini derivative, the Vesper, a drink created in deference to the beautiful double agent in Ian Fleming's Casino Royale & reffered to as Kina Lillet. ...

Like Lillet Blanc, the main grape variety in Lillet Rose is Semillon. These wines are combined with natural liqueurs, handcrafted in Podensac from sweet & bitter oranges & berries. It is this meticulously balanced blend that gives Lillet Rose its delicate aromas.

Colour: Brilliant rose. Nose: Light aromas of berries, orange blossom & grapefruit. Mouth: Fresh, lively & fruity. Balanced structure. Slightly acidic. Finish: Long aromas.

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Lillet (pronounced lee-lay), is a French Aperitif made from a blend of wine, liqueurs, fruits & herbs. It originated in the French village of Podensac & has been made since the late 1800s. Lillet Blanc is made from white wine & is drier than Lillet Rouge, its red-wine counterpart. Both are classically served over ice with an orange twist. Lillet is a blend of rigorously selected wines & fruit liqueurs, aged in oak vats for around 12 months, during which it is given the same care as the Grands Crus (great wines) of Bordeaux. Lillet Blanc has a golden colour with candied orange, honey, pine resin, lime & fresh mint aromas. Full & rich on the palate with a lovely, long aftertaste. Always serve well chilled in a Bordeaux wine glass... zest with a slice of orange or lime. Perfect with snacks & desserts! ...

Intense with plenty colouration. High density. Red cherry & violets hints on the rim. Pronounced glycering, clean, brilliant & impressive liveliness considering the oak ageing. Powerful fruit aromas, tastefully designed, very intense & fresh. Blackberries, currants & plums with oak hints (cinnamon, toffee & caramel), vanilla balsamic backgrounds. Maximum expression, bit dry, very fruity & powerful with tannins bit hard yet. Good evolution with a smooth progression. Retains its taste for long time on the palate. ...

Complex aromas of forest fruits lie on a symphony of oak, vanilla, cinnamon, toffee, spices & leather. Powerful on the palate, with fruit forward flavours of blackberry & plum backed by fruity tannins followed by an eternal finish. Maximum expression without excess. ...

Red cherry, clean & brilliant with a hint of youth on the rim. High density, good colouration, perhaps too much for a young wine. It can be stored for a while. Very intensive wine aroma with alcohol coming through but not over-powering. Toasty wafts & black fruits (blackberry & plums). Faint whiffs of cinnamon & vanilla. On the palate: Maximum fruit expression, blackberry, currants & plums, without sweetness, enveloping, intensely flavoursome in the mouth with a smooth progression. ...

The Viking Age wasn't all sweetness & our latest Mead offers something a bit different. People attending Lindisfarne Festival 2019 got the first chance to sample this 793 Mead & its dry, crispness proved a hit at our Mead Bar. Enjoy a truly unique smooth but subtle blend of jasmine, thyme & milk thistle with a lingering hint of oak in the palate. Not to forget our famous sweet but full favoured local honey used across our mead ranges. This delightful drink is to be enjoyed chilled or mixed with Soda or Lemonade on any day of your choosing. ...

Lindisfarne's ghoulish ' Blod' Mead is an inspired mead which is a lovely special blend of Lindisfarne Original Mead & Cherry Wine. ...

Made with the finest dairy cream & quality aged Irish whisky. A true celebration of the Celtic & Christian connections between Kells in Irel&, Iona in Scotland & Lindisfarne, the cradle of Christianity in Engl&. Add to coffee or pour over ice cream. ...