Opihr Gin
Opihr Gin (pronounced ‘o-peer’) is an oriental spiced London Dry Gin that has been in my gin collection for a few months now. I first tasted it after buying a bottle at the Duty-Free store at the airport on the way back from one of my trips. I was then also kindly sent some of their ready to drink bottles to try out.
ps: did you see my TikTok from the beginning of lockdown with my Opihr bottles?
A Bit Of History About The Gin
Named after the renowned area most known for its wealth and riches which prospered during the reign of King Solomon. Opihr Gin was inspired by the merchants trading exotic spices and botanicals from distant lands. The King regularly received cargoes of gold, silver, and spices from Opihr, and whilst its exact location still remains a mystery, it is thought to have been in the Orient along the Ancient Spice Route.
A network of sea routes link the East with the West that eventually land up at the oldest distillery in England. Quality gin has been traditionally distilled, using the same London Dry Gin method, since 1761 in England. Here the botanicals are married with fine English spirits to produce an exotic oriental spiced gin.
Tasting Notes & Botanicals Used
“Aroma: A rich and robust gin with a smooth perfume and sharp bursts of citrus. Keynotes of cumin and cardamom provide a warm, earthy background balanced with grapefruit peel.
Taste: Soft camphor, some sweetness, and Oriental spices create a warm mouth feel that lingers but does not increase intensity.”
The Indian Cardamom is the first note you smell as soon as you open the bottle of Opihr Gin. It also includes cubeb from Malaysia; black pepper, cardamom, and ginger from India; cumin and grapefruit peel from Turkey, coriander seed from Morocco; bitter oranges from Spain, Juniper from Italy; Angelica root from Germany and Persian black lemons.
Pour A Drink
My favourite way to enjoy some Opihr Gin is to add a slice of Grapefruit and Indian Tonic Water. It’s unlike any other gin I’ve had before with it’s spicey notes. However, thanks to the Indian Ginger, this gin also pairs perfectly well with ginger ale.
Opihr also has 3 different flavours of Ready To Drink mixes. The Opihr Stubbies range includes three flavours; gin and tonic with a dash of ginger, gin and tonic with a twist of orange and a classic gin and tonic. While the packaging of the Opihr Gin is so beautiful with its colourful elephant print and distinct red tassel, the Ready to Drink bottles are just as elegantly packaged.
My favourite out of the three flavours is the gin and tonic with some ginger.
Sticking to the theme of travel, Opihr also has an amazing Drinks Atlas which consists of cocktails inspired by all different regions. Each cocktail is designed to celebrate one of the ten botanicals and the location from which they are sourced from along the Ancient Spice Route.
Price Range
A bottle of Opihr Gin retails for R399.00 and the Ready To Drink packs are R99 for 4 stubbies. Opihr will be launching an online store soon but you can also buy it from Makro and major liquor stores. I’ll definitely be ordering another bottle once we move to level 3 of the lockdown.
ps: Don’t forget to pop over to this post for tips on self-care and working from home during the lockdown
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