The Gin Festival | Norwich

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The Gin Festival is the brain child of husband and wife team Jym and Marie, who decided in 2012 that their gin obsession could not be satisfied by mediocre 'gin bars' and tasting sessions, and therefore created a festival where Gin lovers from all over the country could come together to taste 100 Gins. Now, i'm no Gin conisseur but I do enjoy the odd tipple every now and again so when I was invited along to attend the event I jumped at the chance and I had the pleasure of attending the evening session on the Saturday night alongside my Boyfriend, Sister and Brother-in-Law. We arrived at the event at around 7.30pm, which was being held at Open in Norwich, which is a large venue usually hosting gigs and other events. 

On arrival, we were gifted with our entry fee and were also given 4 drinks tokens worth £20. Each drinks token could be redeemed for a measure of your choice of Gin from one of the 4 bars (A-D), Fever-tree tonic and the accompanying garnish. The entry ticket included a 'Gin Festival' glass (which you could take home!) and a Gin book, detailing all of the different types of Gin on offer. I headed straight to Bar D, which was home to all of the fruity Gins and ordered an Ely Pink Grapefruit Gin with Fever-tree Light Indian Tonic.

This was a delicious tangy Gin and a perfect start to the evening, as it was relatively light and didn't have that heavy alcohol taste that many other Gins have. As there were a few of us, we all managed to try each others Gins too, so even though I only ordered 3 to myself I tried a huge variety of the Gins on offer and also the many samples from distilleries that were showcasing their Gin at the event. My favourite Gin I tried during the evening was the Edinburgh Rhubarb and Ginger Gin, garnished with apple and paired with Fever-tree Soda Water, which tasted exactly like Rhubarb and Custard sweets! Towards the end of the evening, I decided to try a Gin-liquer, Braeckman's Hazelnut Jenever, which was very creamy and nutty. The Gin was served neat over ice and it was simply delicious! I can imagine this taking over my beloved Baileys as my new after dinner drink.

After trying the more fruity Gins, I headed over to Bar A for a taste of Silent Pool, a juniper driven spirit with hints of lavender, camomile, lime and honey. I have to admit, I chose this Gin purely because of the pretty packaging but it did not disappoint! It was a lot stronger than the other Gins I had tried but at 43% ABV it should be! I was also told by the man behind the bar, that Silent Pool was the choice of Gin for the Queen! However, I'm not sure If this was just a ploy! There were a few Gin cocktails available to purchase at the event also, but these were 2 tokens and the equivalent of £10, which I thought was pretty expensive.

During the evening, there were bands playing on the main stage and as the night progressed people begin to let loose and have a little boogie on the dance floor! Upstairs was home to all of the street food stalls and if I had not had a large dinner at Loch Fynne a few hours earlier I would have definitely delved into a burger or two!

 Fever-tree sponsored the event and provided all of the mixers and tonics, as previously mentioned. I particularly enjoyed the Ginger Ale and would happily drink this without any Gin! Most of the Gins were available to buy at the Event, but they also provided you with mail order forms on arrival  allowing you to order the Gins you wanted without having to carry them home that evening! All of the Gins can also be purchased on the Gin Festival website. There were lots of brands showcasing their products at the event as well, including the Gin Explorer, which is a gin subscription box perfect for any Gin fanatics! Gin Explorer is a monthly subscription service showcasing the world's best gins and Gin products for £24.99. Each box contains 4 miniature 50ml bottles of Gin, gourmet tonics and mixers, gifts and treats for gin lovers, for example Joe and Seph's Gin and Tonic flavoured popcorn and much more! I think this id the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys Gin, but it would also be a great   to share with friends and host your own mini Gin Festival in the comfort of your own home using the Gins delivered. Gin Explorer is sponsored by Black Shuck Gin, Norfolk's Legendary Spirit, which combines juniper, coriander and bitter orange peel with Norfolk lavender and sea buckthorn. Being a Norfolk girl, I was delighted to see a local distillery showcasing at the event, and after tasting the Gin I was won over by the hint of lavender, therefore I'd definitely pick up a bottle in future as it was so lovely and fragrant. Other brands at the event included, Pinkster, Adnams, Masons, Whitley Neill, Brockmans and Locksley Distilling Co.

The Gin Festival is currently touring the country and will be visiting the following cities; London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Burnley, Guildford, Rochdale, Cardiff and Lecister in the upcoming months, so make sure you check their website for ticket information. Tickets are £8.50 (inc. booking fee) and can be purchased here. I had a really enjoyable evening at the Gin Festival and would like to thank the team at Gin Festival for inviting me along to the event. I really hope to attend the event again next year and try some more Gins!

 Don't forget, 'A Balanced Diet is a gin and tonic in each hand'- Anon.

xo