Orkney Distillery has partnered with a team of rowers to create Northwest Passage Expedition Gin. The offering will help fund the team’s expedition across the Arctic Ocean next year.
Orkney Northwest Passage Expedition Gin is made with botanicals from the shores of Orkney and the Hudson Bay in Canada, including sugar kelp, angelica, ramanas rose and burnet rose. It is said to pay tribute to the explorers who sought to find a new route to Asia. The Northwest Passage is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and passes through the Arctic Ocean.
Next summer, a team of skilled ocean rowers led by seven-time ocean-rowing Guinness World Recordholder Leven Brown will attempt to be the first to navigate the Northwest Passage by rowing boat. “We are thrilled to launch Northwest Passage Expedition Gin to support our 2021 expedition and raise awareness for ocean conservation,” said Brown. “This is our first step towards making history.”
“The creation of Northwest Passage Expedition Gin has been inspirational and we are thrilled to have been part of something so exciting,” said Stephen Kemp, co-founder of The Orkney Distillery. “The result is a high-quality gin, created using a selection of botanicals rooted in history and from the same water source that supplied the ships of Captain Cook and Sir John Franklin. We hope existing and new gin drinkers will enjoy it.”
According to the distillery’s tasting notes, “Orcadian sugar kelp brings a rugged coastal saltiness, followed by subtle, sweet citrus notes from lemon peel and calamondin fruits. A hint of liquorice accompanies the dry, delicate finish”.
The rowing team will also take part in data collection for non-profit organisation the Big Blue Ocean Cleanup, which will be used for future research.
Northwest Passage Expedition Gin is available to buy online from the distillery’s official website, priced at £39.95 ($52 USD) per 700ml bottle.