The launch of the bespoke spirit, Raffles 1915 Gin, at Raffles Hotel was a night of revelation. Not least because Sipsmith, the British company chosen to create it, was co-owned by Sam Galsworthy (a posh name if there ever was one) – the great, great, great nephew of Sir Stamford Raffles, for whom the flagship was named after. Jaw drop? You bet.

Mr Galsworthy was present at its launch, and revealed another tasty tidbit that kinda blew me away as well: He said his company Sipsmith (launched in 2009) is the first copper distillery to be built in London in over 200 years!

What??!! I had to wiki that a bit. Hendricks? Scotland. No.3 London Dry Gin? Holland. Bombay Sapphire? Hampshire. I needed a drink, there was a great one in front of me.

“Raffles 1915 Gin is a stunningly smooth and inspiring spiced gin that evokes that moment when someone would have sipped their first Singapore Sling in the Long Bar in 1915,” said Galsworthy.

The bespoke gin was created by Sipsmith Master Distiller Jared Brown, and it’s a balance of botanicals inspired by the Malayan peninsula – jasmine flowers, fresh pomelo peel, lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaf, nutmeg and cardamom – distilled alongside some of the classic gin botanicals found in the award-winning Sipsmith London Dry Gin, including juniper, coriander and orris root.

When I nosed it, it was lovely, very gentle with pollen notes, jasmine and was very fruity. It tasted smooooth, was very elegant, balanced and had all the inspired ingredients swirling around, plus a subtle hint of orange spice. A winner, I’d say. (Difford’s Guide gave it 5+ stars out of 5).

It’s a gin to inspire craft bartenders, so we had a Gin Fizz and a Gin Sling (a variation), which were both good, the former extremely drinkable all through the night. The Raffles 1915 Gin was created to celebrate the Singapore Sling’s 100^th anniversary, and it does feel like it will last well past another 100 years. (It is now available at Raffles Hotels & Resorts’ bars and lounges around the world.)

Oh and one last thing: Sam’s full name is actually Stamford. Mind blown.

[Raffles 1915 Sipsmith – $26++ per shot (30ml); Raffles 1915 Gin Sling – $28++; Raffles 1915 Gin Fizz – $24++; Original Singapore Sling with Raffles 1915 Sipsmith Gin available upon request – $33++)

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