If you’re dreaming of holidays on the Med, we’ve got the next best thing: a multi-award-winning spirit from the French Riviera in an exquisite blue bottle. Crafted in the perfume capital of the world and inspired by luxury perfume brands like Dior and Chanel, Comte de Grasse 44°N Gin is the most stylish addition to Craft Gin Club’s Discovery Gin series yet!
What exactly is a Discovery Gin? In addition to the Gin of the Month boxes Craft Gin Club sends its members, its panel of experts selects a gin to satisfy spirits connoisseurs with a taste for adventure. This spring, we’re featuring Comte de Grasse 44°N Gin on our online shop to give our members a taste of the sun-dappled coast.
April 2021 Discovery Gin
Comte de Grasse 44°N Gin
Tasting Notes
The base notes of cade, a type of juniper that grows abundantly around Grasse, are followed by the long-lasting, sweet-yet-musky notes of honey and orris.
The body blooms with flavours of rose and jasmine. The top notes that develop on the nose blend warm citrus with the marine flavours of samphire, reminiscent of the sun and sea breeze you soak up on the Mediterranean coast.
Key Botanicals
Cade (a Mediterranean variety of juniper), Lavender, Alexander, Samphire, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Sichuan Pepper, Rose Centifolia, Bitter Orange, Verbena, Mimosa, Immortelle, Lemon, Honey, Orris
44% ABV
Story of Comte de Grasse Distillery
Comte De Grasse Distillery founder Bhagath Reddy
When Comte De Grasse Distillery founder Bhagath Reddy first set out to create a gin, his goal was to make one unlike any other: an ultra-premium product made with revolutionary distillation techniques and rare botanicals.
His quest took him to the jewel of the French Riviera: Grasse. Known as the perfume capital of the world, it captured Bhagath’s imagination.
He was fascinated by the heritage of the town. For centuries, it had been providing the perfume industry with unique botanicals and inspiring cutting-edge extraction and distillation techniques. Could these be used to make a luxury gin?
Synonymous with French perfumery since the 16th century, Grasse is still home to many of the botanical fields of major perfume houses, including Chanel and Dior.
Ailsa Cargill of Comte De Grasse Distillery explains, “There are fields of rare and beautiful botanicals growing in and around Grasse, cultivated for the famous perfume houses that are a part of the town’s heritage. For example, Dior has jasmine growing here.”
“It’s an extremely special place, because it’s nestled between mountains and sea, surrounded by hills and forests, and it has the perfect Mediterranean climate for growing botanicals that can be used in both perfume and gin.”
Distillery Team
It’s also a place of unparalleled expertise when it comes to perfumery, and Bhagath enlisted the know-how of Marie-Anne Contamin, a scientist, aromatician and innovator with extensive knowledge of botanicals and distillation techniques.
Leaning on her years of experience, she painstakingly put together the exquisite botanical blend of Comte de Grasse 44°N Gin – named after the latitude of Grasse and the percentage of alcohol in the final product. Distilled with high-tech methods like ultrasonic maceration, which were inspired by perfumery, from a blend of local botanicals, the gin gives drinkers a taste of the provenance and heritage of the region.
Marie-Anne Contamin
Marie-Anne says, “The citrus is reminiscent of the sunshine and Mediterranean climate, the flowers pay tribute to the fragrances of Grasse and the vibrant gardens overlooking the sea, and the herbaceous and woody notes of cade, alexander and samphire evoke the aromatic scrubland growing in the hills by the coast.”
Ailsa adds, “One of my favourite botanicals in the gin is the Centifolia Rose, which is also called ‘The Rose of May’ because it blooms for only three weeks a year. It’s very rare, and only flourishes in the Grasse region.”
To do the exquisite liquid justice, it’s complemented by a breathtakingly beautiful bottle. Ailsa says, “The aim was to capture the Côte d'Azur in a bottle, so the glass is infused with blue. The bottom of the bottle is hand-moulded with a design that reminds you of the bottom of the sea, and the top is a golden colour to emulate the sunshine cascading down over the Mediterranean.”
The azure bottle promises to be the jewel of any connoisseur’s collection!
How to Drink Comte de Grasse 44°N Gin
Ailsa says, “It’s an ultra-premium gin, so you can easily drink it neat, or just on ice – which releases more fragrances. If you do like the idea of a Comte de Grasse 44°N Gin & Tonic, add 50ml gin to 200ml Mediterranean tonic and ice. The flavours and the aromas of the liquid are so carefully calibrated you don’t need a garnish. It’s also amazing in classic gin cocktails, like Negronis, French 75s, Gimlets and Floradoras.”
44°N Floradora
50ml Comte de Grasse 44°N Gin
25ml lime juice
25ml raspberry liqueur
Ginger ale, to top up
Lime or raspberries, to garnish
Add your first three ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a tumbler with ice and top up with ginger ale. Garnish and serve.
44°N Negroni
25ml Comte de Grasse 44°N Gin
25ml Campari
25ml sweet vermouth
Wedge of orange, to garnish
Fill a short rocks glass with ice and pour all the ingredients on top. Stir gently for a minute, until the drink is well chilled. Garnish and serve.
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