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Discover, Sip, Repeat: Your Adventure Begins Here
Polo may not be the most accessible of sports for people to get into; but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy things associated with it. In this week’s blog we look at the story behind the delicious drinks that British Polo produces, from a range of gin to an intensely spiced rum.
The company was founded by polo player Rich Hine, whilst touring Australia he had the opportunity to work for a gin company. Here is where he developed a passion for distilling and spirits.
While he was working in Perth he conducted research and discovered that there were very little 100% organic spirits on the market with easy drinking profiles. He wanted spirits that were smooth enough to drink straight but concentrated and complex enough to stand up to mixers and cocktails.
While in Australia he had an injury that sadly ended his polo career. With time on his hands he began research into the history of gin. He discovered that the history of gin was closely linked to polo. With this he decided to sell his polo horses and establish his brand to concentrate on 100% organic spirits.
For the most part British Polo base their gin on the positions of polo players. The first gin that they developed was their Botanical expression, also known as number 3. This award winning gin is based on polo player no3 who is known for his creativity on the polo pitch. This gin was designed to be a very smooth and accessible style, utilising easy drinking elements such as vanilla and elderflower. It is perfect for drinking straight or with tonic water garnished with a strawberry.
After the success of the first gin they released the Classic, based on the more traditional London Dry Gin and polo player no1. It is a gin with punchy flavours, loads of intense juniper, coriander and citrus notes come through and will stand up to any mixer you choose to blend with it. Garnished with orange zest and sage it makes a great gin for the colder months.
Since the brand's launch in 2016 it has gone from strength to strength, including the prestigious award of Gin of the Month at Fortnum and Masons. It has also won 3 gold stars at the Great Taste Awards and has been recognised as the UK’s best gin 2018 by Great Taste.
With the success of the gin, Rich was keen to expand on the portfolio of spirits, this saw the introduction of a strawberry and rose gin and a spiced rum. With the spiced rum he wanted to develop something that was 100% organic as he saw there was a large gap in the market for this style of drink.
As the gins were bold in style he wanted to create a rum with the same intensity, the method he went with is the pioneering double spicing. This helps to build layers of flavour as a range of spices are first used in the distillation process. Orange, cinnamon, vanilla and ginger are distilled with 100% organic, Fairtrade white rum. The same spices are then steeped in the distillate to create a great depth of flavour.
We really recommend having a try of these award winning spirits. We have the range on our website so check them out here or come and see us in-store to learn more about the range, we might even give you a sample!
Includes photos by British Polo Gin.
