Awarded Gold at the 2020 NZ Spirits Awards.
One of the regular rhythms of being a New Zealand craft gin connoisseur is the quarterly release from Taranaki distillers Juno Gin of an all-new seasonal gin. Their next release, Spring 2020 (the final of the four that make up their 2020 collection), has claimed a Gold Medal in the New Zealand Spirits Awards.
Juno’s seasonal gins are small batch gins with a strictly limited run of 1000 bottles (200ml). While Summer 2020 featured wild rose, Autumn 2020 horopito and citrus, and Winter 2020 rhubarb and quince, Spring 2020 is all about seeds.
“We wanted to feature this idea of spring being the time when seeds spring into life,” says Jo James, who founded Juno Gin with husband Dave in 2017.
“In spring, after a winter of eating comfort food, I find myself craving something bitter, green and refreshing. And what fits the bill better than the seeds of parsley, celery and fennel? My friend Jo gathered seeds from her garden in autumn both for her own kitchen and for us.
The end result is well-balanced and refreshing. Jo recommends enjoying it with tonic, ice and a slice of lemon.
While Spring 2020 won Gold, Autumn and Summer both won Silver and Winter won Bronze at the awards. Jo describes each of the gins: “Summer, with its soft herbaceousness and lightly floral flavour; Autumn—orange and pepper (horopito): Winter—spiced quince and rhubarb (a real mid-winter Christmas treat), and the new Spring Gin, refreshing, slightly bitter, green.”
