Burrell’s Dry Gin – Burrell’s Breeze

Well my lovelies, you all know how much I love a gin with a good story and in Massingberd-Mundy it would seem I’ve stumbled upon a pretty good one.  

In the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds, set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, you will find the South Ormsby Estate.  Comprising of four villages, the estate boasts idyllic landscapes, beautiful buildings and a huge dose of history and heritage thrown in for good measure.  The village of Driby plays home to the Massinberd-Mundy Distillery, which takes it’s name from the family who owned the South Ormsby Estate for nearly 400 years.  (Bought by Sir Drayner Massingberd in 1638 and remained with the family until 2012 when Adrian Massingberd-Mundy passed away.) 

The distillery was established in 2019 by Tristan Jørgensen, who is the Distiller, Distillery Manager and the brain behind Massingberd-Mundy Gin range…he’s also a rather lovely chap too!  Up until 2007 Tristan was a self confessed man-child, floating between hospitality and retail jobs, never quite knowing what he wanted to do when he grew up.  All that changed when he was given the opportunity to work with John Campbell and Laphroaig Distillery, which ignited a passion in him for the spirit’s industry.  Finally the stars aligned and South Ormsby allowed Tristan to fulfill his dream, the chance to launch his own Gin.

Burrell’s is the first gin to be released by the distillery and is inspired by Charles Burrell Massingberd. 

“A man of vision and style, Charles became the squire of South Ormsby Estate in 1802, redesigning and expanding his ancestral home in the centre of the Lincolnshire Wolds.”

The bottle itself is beautiful and I haven’t come across another gin in a bottle of this shape, which is almost like a wine carafe.  An image of Charles Burrell Massingberd gazes cleverly through the gin, giving the impression that his very essence is captured in the bottle itself. 

The gin is distilled in a 120L copper pot still called Angelica, which was hand built in Serbia.  Tristan describes Burrell’s as “a traditional London Dry gin with a contemporary twist,” clearly paying homage to Charles Burrell Massingberd’s desire to combine fresh, modern taste with traditional elegance.  The recipe consists of 14 botanicals, (Juniper, Angelica Root, Orris Root, Coriander, Liquorice, Cassia Bark, Cubeb, Lemon Peel, Lime Peel, Tangerine Peel, Almonds, Bay leaf, Apple and Elderflower) and the latter two are grown in the distillery garden.  As well as including a number of traditional botanicals, Tristan wanted to include a few which aren’t your everyday picks for gin, in the hope of creating something interesting which would make Burrell’s stand out from the rather crowded gin market.  So, the big question is has he managed to achieve this…

There’s only one way to find out, on with the tasting.  I found this gin to be really interesting due to the fact that the flavours seemed to be continually changing, each time I thought I’d pinned it down, something new developed.  For me, Burrell’s started out with a bold juniper punch, which remained in the background while a warming spice built, then gave way to some great citrus notes.  A long, flavoursome finish keeps your taste buds occupied between massive glugs sips.  Owing to it’s botanicals and flavours I think this will be a very versatile gin.  So, how to serve it?  Well, Tristan suggests combining Burrell’s with a light tonic water and garnishing with tangerine and black peppercorns, or alternatively serving straight from the freezer, neat, over ice.  With summer in full pelt, Tristan has also come up with a very refreshing summer cocktail, Burrell’s Breeze, which is dangerously drinkable and I will absolutely be making when we go away with friends in a couple of weeks time!

Burrell’s Breeze

What you need:

• 150ml Burrell’s Gin
• 50ml Peach Schnapps
• 30ml grenadine
• Freshly squeezed orange juice

What to do:

Combine the first three ingredients in a large jug with lots of ice and top up with freshly squeezed orange juice.  Try really hard not to drink it too quickly because it is so refreshing that you forget it is in fact alcoholic!

So, what does the future hold for Massingberd-Mundy? Well, the distillery has in fact released another gin in the form of Marie Jeanne Pink Gin.  Inspired by Marie Jeanne Rapigeon of Versailles, who was daughter to a French Captain and the young second wife of the squire, Charles Burrell.  With an estate filled with such a rich history, I think it’s definitely a case of guessing who is going to inspire the next gin in their family tree.

*Burrell’s gin was gifted.

**This review is not a paid advertisement.