Whitley Neill Quince Gin 70cl

Product Information

If you know what you’re getting into— it’s a really pleasant flavored gin. It’s not a gin with quince, but a quince flavored, sweetened gin.

To sterilise your jars and bottles, put your clean jars in a low oven for at least half an hour. Carefully remove your jars from the oven (they will be incredibly hot) and allow them to cool down a little. The aroma of fresh stone fruits appears immediately, gently followed by hints of juniper and citrus zest. The distinctive flavour of quince dominates the palate, giving way to the sweetness of apricots and peaches, with a long, fruity finish that opens out into orange blossoms and zesty grapefruits. Quince Gin, or any fruit flavoured gin is really easy to do, you just need a big jar, some fruit, a bit of sugar, gin and some time. Whitley Neill Quince Gin is a flavored gin that adds quince and sweetening after distillation. The color is a bit neon yellow poured from the bottle, which reads a bit as Mountain Dew and yellow #5. Tasting Notes Place a large heavy-based cooking pot over a low heat and tip in the cubed quince, the caster sugar, 250ml of water and the remaining half of the lemon. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat so the quince simmers very gently. Partially cover with a lid. Let the fruit cook for about 40 minutes, during which time it will change colour to glowing yellow-pink. Stir the mixture regularly to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. There should be quite a bit of syrup.

Overall, Whitley Neill Quince Gin

I first made this with brioche, but panettone is much easier to find. The occasional nub of candied peel from the sweet bread is pleasing, too. Put the sugar into a saucepan, add 750ml of water and bring to the boil. Peel the quinces then cut them in half from tip to base. Lower the quince halves into the syrup, add the lemon, cut in half then add to the pan. Turn the heat down so the quinces simmer gently. Partially cover with a lid and leave to cook, testing occasionally for tenderness with the point of a skewer. The quinces must be thoroughly tender before being removed from the syrup. Remove the quince halves with a draining spoon, reserving a little of the syrup for moistening the fruit as you serve it. Keep the rest, refrigerated, for poaching other fruits. (Lightly perfumed, it will work for both apples and pears.) Set the quinces aside to cool.

Seal your bottle and decorate it with a nice label if you’re giving it as a gift. I’ve called this gin “Two Quinces” after the 1992 Spin Doctors song, you’re welcome. We have a quince tree in our garden, so most autumns we are blessed with a fairly decent crop of fruit. Most of this goes towards making quince jelly, which is excellent with cheese, but this year I put aside two nice big quinces for ginning with. It’s simple to do, you just need patience. How to make your own Quince Gin You will need: The bottling technique: Add your spirit to a Kilner jar or another sealable container. Make sure your kit is clean and sterile to avoid the spirit going bad. Then add your infusing ingredient and leave it to leach into the spirit. Here's a rough time guide:Leave strong chilli, vanilla, cardamom or citrus for less than a day.Hardy spices and strong-flavoured veg will need five to seven days.Berries and strong fruit can take around three to four weeks to impart as much flavour as possible.Milder ingredients like apple or florals will take up to a month.

Flavor Profile

When the time is up, take your sterilised bottle and using a funnel with some muslin or a coffee filter in it; strain the gin into the bottle. I found that it was best if I strained it twice. Just make sure you replacing the muslin with a new piece after the first straining. The first thing I did was measure how much gin my decorative bottle would take. My bottle would hold 350mls of gin, so allowing for a little bit of wastage during the straining process, and me having a little taste, I measured out 380mls of gin and poured it into a large sterilised jar. How to store: If your bottles or jars are well sealed, strained correctly and kept in a cool, dark place, your spirits can keep for up to a year.

I liked Whitley Neill Quince Gin in a Gin and Tonic, but I did find it a touch too sweet if using a tonic water like Schweppes for example. Paired with a less sweet tonic water, Whitley Neill Quince Gin adds more and the end result is actually quite beautiful. It’s sweet, with apple and pear facets and a pleasant bitter finish. You really have to look for the juniper there, but it’s a good drink in its own right. Try a Gin and Soda for an easier party pour that keeps the quince and gin character at the fore. Overall, Whitley Neill Quince Gin Bake for 30 minutes or till the surface is crisp but still pale gold, perhaps a little toasted here and there. Serve with double cream. Poached quince, gorgonzola creamOnce it has been baked or poached, the flesh becomes soft and almost Turkish delight-like. A quince in this state will benefit from a crisp crust. Best so far has been a crumble, rough as pebbledash, where I tossed together flour, butter, almonds and breadcrumbs and sweetened it with light, butterscotch-scented muscovado.