AND THE STORY OF GIN - Enright's Gin Company

ENRIGHT’SAND THE STORY OF GIN


The English word ‘Gin’ is derived from the French word “Genievre” meaning Juniper.

It must still be the most prominent flavour under EU Regulations.A type of distillate flavoured with juniper was made in England for medicinal purposes long before it became popular as a drink.

[ ]Juniper


King William III, a Dutchman who came to the English throne in 1689, encouraged the drinking of Gin and was responsible for it becoming a fashionable drink in England.

William decided that it would make an acceptable substitute for the brandy produced by his enemy, the French. By placing prohibitive taxes on French wines and brandy coming into England and by allowing anyone who applied for a license to set up a distillery.

[ ]King William III


In addition to shortening the name of the beverage to gin, the English were soon drinking 80 million litres a year.

Easy to make and cheap enough that even the poorest Englishman could buy two or three litres a day, gin became the perfect 17th and 18th century tranquiliser, just what was needed to take people’s minds off their miserable social and economic conditions.

[ ]Gin Revolution


The significance of the ‘Dry’ in London Dry Gin is a reference from the old days when the most popular Gin was ‘Old Tom’ which was sweetened with sugar and glycerine.

Dry Gin was named to distinguish it from the sweet version, and soon complex versions were appearing that featured exotic botanical ingredients.[ ]London Dry Gin


Monastries (famous for producing a traveller’s tipple for centuries) increasingly turned to the business of distilling fine gin.

Some gin styles even became enshrined in Law and were given appellation rights. These ‘appellation gins’ can only be made within the strict confines of their district, using time honoured methods, formula and local water.

[ ]Holy Water


London quickly established itself as the ‘Gin Capital of the World’ and became synonymous with gin. London Gin and appellation gins, were soon winning medals at international exhibitions.

Higher proportions of root ingredients helped provide distinctly ‘earthy’ aromas with great smooothness. Exotic botanicals like – juniper, coriander, bergamot, cardamom, angelica, orris-root and licorice were re-distilled with pure grain spirit.

[ ]Award Winning

Appellation gin soon became famous for it’s elegance. Often described in glowing terms: Luscious marshmallow and hints of sage, dried citrus peel, and lavender. Subtle, full bodied flavours with no bitter botanicals and a balanced juniper hit up front. Sweet spices and cardamom impart a soft sweet, woody, spicy finish. Pure spring water provides an exceptionally clean and fresh flavour.


Gin also has a very definite connection with the ‘Pilgrim Fathers’, settlers of Plymouth, Mass., USA.

The first permanent colony in New England (1620). Of the 102 colonists, 35 were members of the English Separatist Church (a radical faction of Puritanism) who had earlier fled to Leiden, the Netherlands, to escape persecution at home.

[ ]Gin and The New World

The remaining passengers were “London Merchant Adventurers” (and their servants) who were a group that described themselves as entrepreneur’s’. They left Plymouth, England on 6th September 1620 and the night before they did so was spent visiting a well established local distillery that now makes very fine appellation-style gin.


ENRIGHT’SAND THE FAMILY NAME


This interesting name, with variant spellings Erraught, Enraught(y), and the archaic forms MacEnryckty and MacKenraghty, is an anglicized form of the Olde Gaelic MacIonnrachtaigh.

The Gaelic prefix ‘Mac’ means ‘son of’, plus the person by name Ionnrachtach for which there are two distinct interpretations, the first being ‘upright’ and ‘lawful’ from ‘ionracas’, honesty, and the second being an adjectival form of ‘ionradh’ meaning ‘attack’, hence; ‘the Attacker’ or ‘Plunderer’.

[ ]The Uright and Lawful, Attacker and Plunderer


As a personal name Inreachtach is found in early Irish Annals, whence the family name Ionnrachtach.

In the sixteenth century Fiants (‘Fiant litterae patentes’) we find the form MacErachta in County Longford with MacEnryckty and Kinraght occurring in Kilmallock, County Limerick[ ]

The Enright’s of Limerick

The variants Enraughty and Enright are particularly well recorded in Limerick church registers from the mid 18th Century.


What isn’t too well known is the connection between Limerick in Ireland and the Gin distillaries of England, especially the sea port based distillaries in Plymouth, Liverpool and Bristol.

Even when the Irish economy stagnated from 1815 to the 1840s, culminating in the Great Famine, Limerick continued to enjoy economic growth. Customs receipts in the port increased from £70,000 in 1821 to £148,000 in 1840. The population increased to 48,000 in 1841.

[ ]Limerick’s important role in Gin making.


Throughout the period 1747 to 1845, Limerick exported vast amounts of corn and grain and provisions to England, which she received from her fertile hinterland in North Munster.

The corn and grain was used to form the alcohol base to which is added the now familiar juniper berries and other botanicals which together give Gin it’s distinctive flavour.

[ ]Limerick Gold


Loop Head Lighthouse that stands guard at the mouth of the Shannon helps to guide ships carrying golden Limerick corn and grain to the waiting distilleries in England.

The Loop Head Lighthouse is as synonymous with Limerick as it is with the Enright name, and the proud tradition of fine Gin making. It is a fitting symbol to stand alongside the Enright’s Gin brand.

[ ]Loop Head Lighthouse


England and, to a lesser extent, the rest of Europe underwent what came to be known as the Industrial Revolution throughout the 19th Century.

One of the manufacturing processes that benefitted from mechanisation in the Industrial Revolution was the process of distillation. This meant that the production of Gin could be carried out on a truly industrial scale.

[ ]Gin meets the Industrial Age


Mechanising the process of distillation also had a huge impact upon another manufacturing process, namely the distillation of plant extracts to create fragrances. Prior to this the process of extracting plant extracts to create fragrance was done by ‘Pressing’ or a process called ‘Enfleurage”.

Enflourage can be either ‘hot or ‘cold’. Both involved mixing the plant extract with animal fat, usually lard or tallow. The process is by far one of the oldest methods of fragrance extraction. It is also highly inefficient and costly.

[ ]Perfume Gin go hand in hand

The production of fragrance by distillation developed in step with the processes for the distillation of Gin throughout the 19th century and the early part of the 20th.


ENRIGHT’SORIGINAL GIN

AND THE STORY OF GIN - Enright's Gin Company

Documents