We at Sated love our gins. I mean, we love them. If you don’t believe us, just take a look at our ‘To Drink’ section, which reads like the receipt at an out-of-the-way gin bar. However, we can safely say that in our tireless trials of the globe’s best gins, Havn Gin has surpassed all others in terms of flavour innovation.

Born out of a collaboration between serial entrepreneur, Steve Symons, and Pieter-Jan Frooninckx, Master Distillery extraordinaire at Belgian Spirits Company (read our article here) and creator of PJ Gin (read our tasting notes here), this is an exclusive and insurmountably special range of gin that we cannot get enough of. Right, enough with the superlatives – justified as they might be – and on to the reasoning.

Two of Steve’s greatest passions are sailing and flavours. Therefore, when developing his gin, it seemed only natural to create completely distinctive botanical combinations and tie them to his favourite ports through name and flavour profile. In this way, they are both typical of that region and entirely unique in themselves.

The originality and exclusivity of the range is continued in the aesthetics, with each beautifully designed bottle hand-sprayed in metallic paint, before being electrically charged so that every bottle has a one-off pattern.

Tasting notes: Havn Gin

 

Bangkok

The Nose

Very aromatic. Citric and fresh with a hint of raw ginger bite.

The Taste

Refine, light and fresh on the palate, this is the perfect summer drink and can be quaffed all day long. The lemongrass is poignant but not at all overpowering and blends nicely with the kaffir lime. The ginger is as an after-thought on the tongue; barely noticeable at first but nevertheless appreciated for its lingering candour.

Suggested Serve

This does not need a lot of garnish and can be served neat or on the rocks, or with a thin slice of ginger, a ribbon of lemon peel, and a splash of Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water.

Copenhagen

The Nose

Very hard to place. There is a memory of spiced hot chocolate, alongside a cacophony of maritime scents swirled with a light smoke.

The Taste

Our first sip had our brains go “Woah, what the heck is going on here?!” or, as Brand Ambassador Michael Oyen put it, “It’s so special and a bit of a mind-fuck”. On the spectrum of gins, this stands very much alone. Savoury in taste, there is a powerful allusion to salt and seaweed, with the gentle reckoning of smoked fish, the fire it is smoked upon, sealed by the fresh gratings of lime zest. Whilst this may not sound at all appealing, my word it is! Astoundingly gastronomic, this is a beautifully baffling gin that pairs perfectly with tuna tartare or sashimi, and which will truly blow your mind in the best possible way.

Suggested Serve

Preferably in a cocktail alongside with seafood. The gin itself pairs brilliantly with Indian Tonic, Dill and Pink Peppercorns.

Antwerp

The Nose

This is very much a winter gin, with gorgeous cinnamon and star anise notes wafting through.

The Taste

Flemish rhubarb is full and recognisable, its sweetness bolstered by the comforting addition of cinnamon and vanilla. The colour of the bottle recalls the cast-iron pots used by grandmothers in Antwerp, giving this variant an extra layer of reassurance and warmth.

Suggested Serve

Best served with Fever-Tree Mediterranean or Clementine Tonic, and garnished with rhubarb or raspberry (according to the season) and star anise.

Marseille

The Nose

Very outspoken and unusual; it smells strongly of thyme and rosemary, giving off the impression that it would work wonderfully alongside a BBQ or roast dinner.

The Taste

A truly herbaceous cocktail of thyme, rosemary, coriander, cloves and santolina. Characterful and punchy, this is not one to be drunk on its own.

Suggested Serve

A true mixologists’ gin that could inform some transformative cocktails and pair with tasting menus that are heavy on the lamb. However, as we aren’t all industry professionals with a bartender on-hand, why not try it with the favourite Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic, fennel, thyme, rosemary and black olives. This is sure to be an intriguing, savoury concoction that foodies will love.

To find out more about Belgian Spirits Company and the process of creating Havn Gin, read our article here.