As we start drifting towards the end of the year, when the air is starting to cool and the days are becoming shorter, we wanted to reflect back over the balmy summer days of 2016, which are now fading into a distant memory. On one such day, we decided to get out of the office and visit a coriander farm on the West Sussex downs. This coriander farm is the only one in the country and is the source of the coriander botanical in Brilliant Gin. We wanted to find out as much as we could about this annual herb from the Apiaceae family, as we love it in all types of cuisine as well.

Also known as cilantro or Chinese parsley, all parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and dried seeds are most commonly used in cooking. For us in the gin world however, it’s the seeds that we are most interested in. Coriander is the second most-used botanical after juniper, and the flavour is more perceptible towards the end of the Brilliant Gin flavour journey – you get a delightful burst of spice!

Our visit was just a couple of weeks before harvest and the smell of coriander in the air was intoxicating. We tasted the seeds, bursting with citrusy freshness. It was a wonderful day and we came away having learned much concerning coriander and how it is grown and harvested.

Brilliant Gin is softly infused with a hint of spice and a note of citrus. It’s smooth enough to drink neat, but packed so full of flavours it punches through any mixer and you still get all the flavours of the glorious botanicals.

Try it for yourself – it’s deliciously brilliant!