Distillery creates 4.2% ABV spirit with ‘flavour and texture of gin’

A distillery in London has made a gin-spired lower alcohol spirit, bottled at 4.2% ABV, which it claims has the same flavour and mouthfeel as a full-strength gin.

Temperance by Portobello Road, devised by distillery founder Jake F Burger, will be available to order for the on and off-trade from mid-July. with an RRP of £23.

According to a statement, the company is targeting “gin-fans who are looking to moderate their intake of alcohol,” but Burger said it would “never call Temperance a gin” due to its much lower ABV.

It has been distilled using the same nine botanicals Portobello uses for its standard dry gin and navy strength version, alongside other techniques and additional ingredients such as mineral water, botanical hydrosols (water collected when flowers are steamed during the production of essential oils), and “one or two secret ingredients”, in order to ensure the spirit has the same texture and flavour profile “demanded by the modern drinker.”

The resulting spirit, it said, is “instantly weighty, with viscosity and a pleasant acidic sharpness.”

“Everything we do here at Portobello Road Gin is inspired by gin’s rich heritage,” said Burger, “and while we would never call Temperance a gin – as it is below 37.5% – it was important to us that the spirit retained the flavour and texture of a classic gin.”

“Less alcohol content shouldn’t mean less flavour, in fact the juniper, cassia bark and citrus notes are even more pronounced in Temperance, resulting in an unmistakably ginny flavour. The bold, aromatic qualities of Temperance mean that when mixed with tonic or in a cocktail its character and depth are incredibly pronounced.”

The product is being launched in response to the rising number of consumers looking for lower alcohol and alcohol-free drinks.

More than half of Brits who took part in a OnePoll survey this year said they have at least tried a non-alcoholic beverage, while 52% also said that non-alcoholic beers have become more socially acceptable in the past two years.

Portobello Road is not the first spirits company to launch a lower alcohol alternative to its core range this year. Glaswegian Scotch maker Whyte & Mackay brought a new take on the amber elixr to market in May, bottled at 21.5% ABV.