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At around P3,000 for a 500ml bottle, Monkey 47 Dry Schwarzwald Gin is the priciest gin on the market right now—and also the most interesting.
Handcrafted and unfiltered, this unusual gin has the power to unite great British traditions, the exoticness of India, and the purity and nativeness of the Black Forest, Germany’s largest forested mountain region.
Distilled from 47 predominantly unusual but regional botanicals and blended with natural spring water, and bottled at 47%, Monkey 47, whose pièce de résistance is the use of local cranberries as some sort of “secret weapon”, its unrivaled complexity and quality, which is fully brought to bear through masterly distillation and maturing in traditional earthenware containers.
Predictably complex, this is a robust and powerful gin with plenty of spice, flowers, fruit and herb flavors. It’s very well structured, and difficult to unpick but a citrus fresh start segues into pine and wood notes for a drying finish.
In 1951, a retired British commander named Montgomery Collins moved to Germany’s Northern Black Forest region to take up watchmaking, and quickly found himself missing the tipple of his native country. He began experimenting with his own bootleg varieties, using the Black Forest’s abundant juniper alongside its more unusual plants and herbs and eventually tucking the final recipe in a wooden box in his country guest home.
In 2006, the founder of Germany’s Black Forest Distillers found the recipe and decided to revive it, dubbing it Monkey 47 in honor of the commander’s monkey, Max. A hit in Europe, it launched in New York last year and is continuing to roll out across the U.S.
This plethora of ingredients has paid off, and in 2011 Monkey 47 won the World Spirits Award Gold in the Gin category and Gold for best in class for the Gin Worldwide at the International Wine and Spirits Competition London.
Whether with tonic, as a sling, martini, or gimlet, the unique and complex taste of Monkey 47 is an ideal basis for both classics and more eccentric cocktails. With the distinct and pure scent of juniper, a tangy and crisp citrus note, a sweet, floral aroma, a hint of peppery spices, subtle bitter fruit, and a deep and harmoniously balanced complexity with a tremendously racy finish!
