About Daffy’s / Allow us to introduce ourselves / Daffy’s Gin

 DAFFY’S GIN  |  OUR STORY  |  WHY 43.4%?  |  OUR BOTANICALS 

DAFFY’S GIN

Daffy’s is a gin of exceptional quality, using a ‘slow-cook’ distillation process. This unique distillation process creates Daffy’s incredible smoothness, depth of flavour and finesse.

Our gin has been crafted to be enjoyed straight over ice like the finest of malt whiskies, to make the ultimate D&T, the very best Martini (Daffy’s won the coveted World’s Best Martini Competition Title 2018) and other great cocktails.

The lady on the bottle is the Distiller’s wife painted by the famous artist Robert McGinnis (Breakfast at Tiffany’s and James Bond artwork).

‘Daffy’ is what gin was called in Britain in the 1800s. Originally an affectionate slang name for gin. Charles Dickens wrote many times about Daffy and its virtues and there were many Daffy’s bars and clubs in London and across the UK.

Daffy is the Goddess of Gin. First written about in the 1700s, Daffy is the essence of great gin, a lover of life who has transcended the decades. Daffy as painted by Robert McGinnis is the visualisation and personification of the taste, charm, sophistication, complexity and depth of our gin.

OUR STORY

We spent four years on an adventure and quest to create a gin like no other, a gin of the finest quality achievable, using the very best botanicals and some new botanicals to gin. What we have discovered, we are amazingly excited about and very keen to share it with as many like-minded friends as possible.

We started by using the finest pure wheat grain spirit from northern France that we could find, then, distilling it in the same manner as malt whisky on an ancient single batch copper pot still. The botanicals that we steep and distil are a combination of the traditional – juniper, coriander seeds, cassia bark and the new – Lebanese mint and rare variety lemons.

The quality of the base spirit we use, along how we steep and distil our botanicals results in a deeply complex and well balanced spirit that is exceptionally good to drink on its own over ice, in cocktails or as a life-changing D&T with fresh mint and lime.

Lebanese mint as a botanical brings an extraordinary freshness to Daffy’s, complimenting our other tasting notes of toffee, citrus, spice caramel and fresh mint.

 

WHY 43.4%?

Well you may ask… Many gins bottle at 37.5%, many at 40% and many much stronger. For us and our gin, 43.4% is the perfect balance of strength and flavour. Any stronger and the spirit becomes punchier, a little more closed and with a burn that breaks the concentration. Any weaker and the balance and complexity becomes too diluted and the heart of the gin becomes less strong.

At 43.4% Daffy’s strength, complexity and flavour release is perfectly balanced. Strong ABV creates a powerful heart to our gin while allowing for the ultimate expression of taste and flavour. When enjoyed straight Daffy’s is well rounded and smooth with a long finish.

OUR BOTANICALS
FROM ITALY TO INDONESIA

 MINT

ZHALE, LEBANON

 

 JUNIPER

BALKAN STATES

 

 CORIANDER

BALKAN STATES

 

 ANGELICA ROOT

BELGIUM

 

 LEMON PEEL

ITALY

 

 CASSIA BARK

INDONESIA

 

ORRIS ROOT

MOROCCO

 

 ORANGE PEEL

SPAIN

 

LEBANESE MINT 

The Lebanese mint used in Daffy’s Gin is grown in the Becca Valley in Lebanon, on the distiller’s father-in-law’s farm. Lebanese mint when dried gives Daffy’s its indisputable buttery, creamy, toffee notes.

JUNIPER

Juniper is the constant botanical in all gin. Gin can indeed not be classed as gin without this berry-like botanical. Grown in the Balkan states of Southeast Europe, Daffy’s juniper variety has within it many complex flavours, all owed to the sun, chalky soil and hydrocarbons naturally present. The piney notes come from a specific hydrocarbon responsible for around 45% of the total aroma alongside other floral and woody notes.

CORIANDER SEEDS

Coriander is a very popular botanical when it comes to gin – only second to juniper. The coriander seeds used in Daffy’s gin are carefully sourced from Southeast Europe, the location determined again by the soil types that have a huge impact on the flavour profile of the coriander seeds themselves. Once steeped and distilled, the seeds have a complex flavour that is nutty and zesty with spicy orange notes.

ANGELICA ROOT

Angelica could be regarded as the third most popular gin botanical after juniper and coriander. In fact, many people often confuse the taste of angelica with the taste of juniper, not because the two are alike, but because both are so prevalent in the taste of gin. Angelica, once distilled has a particularly earthy taste, with a hint of bitterness and fine herbal notes.

LEMON PEEL

Lemons are first thought to have been brought over to Europe from Persia and Medina through Greece. It is our Italian lemon peel that gives Daffy’s its immediate zesty and citrus nose. Lemon peel provides the fresh crispness that underlies the other more complex aromas.

CASSIA BARK

The tree from which cassia bark is taken originates from Southern China and has long been used in the treatment of fever. Cassia bark, while often mistaken for cinnamon, is a relative of cinnamon but with a much sweeter finish. It can often be identified in a gin for its almost liquorice-like taste and hot Christmas-invoking spicy aromas.  

ORRIS ROOT

Orris root comes from the root of an iris plant and is often used in the manufacture of perfumes. The plant is usually harvested after its third year of growth and is left to dry for up to two years until it has a chalky appearance. We dry our orris root for five years. Orris root itself has a beautiful scent of violets and is used in Daffy’s to harmonise and bond all of our other flavours together.