Mermaid Gin Review

Reviewed by Lindsay Harris

With the light summer evenings approaching, I’ve been searching for new refreshing drinks, so I was thrilled to receive a sample of Mermaid Gin, together with details of their ‘Summer of Six’ cocktails.

A hand-crafted gin from the Isle of Wight’s only distillery, I was instantly drawn in by the beautiful design of the bottle. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but with Mermaid Gin it’s hard not to. Its gorgeous blue-green bottle shifts and changes with the light, and it’s wonderfully tactile, with dimpled scales reflecting its mythical namesake.

Not only is it lovely to look at, but it’s plastic-free and Net Zero. The cork is sustainably sourced and the seal around the wooden stopper is plant-based and biodegradable. If you’re lucky enough to live on the Isle of Wight, you can even take advantage of the distillery’s ‘Refill Exchange Scheme’, which allows you to return your used bottle and receive a discount on your next purchase. I’m trying to reduce my environmental impact and use of plastic, so this gets a big tick from me.

The gin itself contains ten botanicals, including juniper, rock samphire, elderflower, organic lemon zest, angelica root, orris root, coriander, liquorish root, grains of paradise and Boadicea hops. It gets its name from its use of rock samphire, which is foraged from the Isle of Wight, where it’s locally known as Mermaid’s Kiss. Having never come across rock samphire before, I can’t entirely say whether I could pinpoint its notes, but the gin has a lovely smooth feel, with a citrus lemon burst and a hint of pepper.

I was keen to try one of the ‘Summer of Six’ cocktails, so we opted for the ‘Mermaid French 75’. We quickly made some sugar syrup, splashed in some lemon juice, added a good measure of Mermaid Gin and then topped it up with Prosecco. (Champagne is the traditional accompaniment but Prosecco was listed as an alternative, which we handily had in the house already). The lemon juice really brought out the zesty notes in the gin, and each of us could experiment with the amount of Prosecco to get the perfect balance of gin and Prosecco.

As well as the Mermaid French 75 cocktail, we also decided to make up a classic G&T. Served over plenty of ice, it was a delight to relax with on a sunny evening in the garden.

I’m keen to try the other recipes from the Mermaid Gin team and am particularly intrigued by the Mermaid Gin & Tea, which combines cooled green tea with elderflower and gin – a perfect summer combination. If like me you’re looking to experiment with new combinations, you can find all the recipe cards at isleofwightdistillery.com, where you can also find details of their other spirits, including the Mermaid Pink Gin and Mermaid Salt Vodka.

I’m a total sucker for beautiful design and I’ve been looking for a striking bottle to turn into a bottle light, so I’d be tempted to buy Mermaid Gin purely for that reason, but I’m pleased to say the gin matches its cover!

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £42.95

This product can be purchased from Master of Malt here

More information and cocktail recipes can be found at Isle of Wight Distillery here