We are now distilling gin. It's called Bertha's Revenge. We have been tweaking our recipe for the past eight months in our copper stills at Ballyvolane House. We are really pleased with the final cut and we hope you will be too.
We are using whey alcohol as our base spirit (most spirits are made using barley or wheat grain spirit). Milk is separated in to curds and whey. The curds go on to become cheese but the whey has traditionally been regarded as a waste product. Special yeasts have been developed and are added to the whey to convert the milk sugars into alcohol. This is then distilled to produce a very high quality whey spirit and this is what we are distilling along with our 18 different botanicals. We are the first Irish distillery to produce Small Batch Irish Milk Gin from whey alcohol.
Bertha, a legendary Droimeann cow from Sneem, Co. Kerry, died in 1993. At 48 years of age, she became the world's oldest cow, having given birth to an eye-bulging 39 calves over her lifetime. To immortalise her memory, we have brought her back in spirit - literally! Using whey alcohol from Irish dairy farmers, our own natural spring water and incorporating an interesting mix of locally foraged and grown botanicals, we have hand-crafted a gin reflecting Bertha in her prime. A fragrant nose, soft mouth feel and warming spicy middle notes to mirror her maternal core. And a long, confident fruit-driven finish to celebrate her longevity. Writer and historian Turtle Bunbury attended Bertha's wake in 1993 by chance and he has written a wonderful account of the day for The Guardian newspaper and please click here to read the full article. The label was designed by graphic design veteran Rod Springett. We are very grateful to Rod for working his magic on Bertha's Revenge.
Please click here to view some photos of the real Bertha
Ballyvolane literally translates from Gaelic as 'the place of springing heifers' - a testament to the fertility and natural diversity of the land on which the estate lies. The much lauded Ballyvolane House practices a field-to-fork philosophy when it comes to food. The Ballyvolane House Spirits Company was formed in April 2015 by school friends Justin Green and Antony Jackson and together, we are determined to echo this field-to-fork philosophy by championing a grass to glass approach for everything we bottle.
Ingredients: whey alcohol, spring water, juniper, coriander, bitter orange, grapefruit, sweet orange, childish enthusiasm, lemon, lime, liquorice, orris, angelica, laughter, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin, almond, elderflower, Alexanders, love, sweet woodruff.
We are not quite ready to market Bertha's Revenge yet, but will be soon. We will be officially launching in September 2015. In time, we will also be introducing a range of gin products such as sloe gin, damson gin, loganberry gin as well as a summer cup. We are also planning on opening a Distilling Academy at our distillery in due course. Please click here to view our website holding page - website proper coming soon.
How to enjoy Bertha's Revenge? It stands-up brilliantly with a good tonic and a slice of lemon or peel and ice. It makes a magnificent Dry Martini Cocktail - a true test of a good gin. It is also smooth enough to sip with a splash of water to open up the aromas. We also use it in our Rhubarb Martinis and please click here to see the recipe.
We are proud and delighted that a percentage of our annual sales will be donated to charity.
Please enjoy enthusiastically, but sensibly.
Best wishes
Justin Green & Antony Jackson
www.ballyvolanespirits.ie
