The Edge gin – Inspired by Legend

By Tom
August 17, 2020
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The Wizard of Alderley Edge

Fancy adding a little legend to your gin collection? Then The Edge gin might just be the one for you!

Hailing from Alderley Edge in Cheshire, the Edge gin is inspired by the legendary wizard of Alderly. Legend has it that of a band of warriors lie sleeping in a chamber below ground, ready to awake in a time of crisis to save their country. The location is marked by The Wizard Well, which is carved with a magical inscription –

‘Drink of this and take thy fill for the water falls by the Wizhard’s will’

After spending many years travelling the world on cruise ships, The Edge creators, Mike and Clare, decided to settle down Alderley Edge and it was while out walking around the local countryside that they came across the Wizards Well and the idea to create gin was born…

Walking around the countryside of #AlderleyEdge, Cheshire, we stumbled upon the Wizard of Alderley Edge and the inscription carved into the stone which reads, “Take of this and take thy fill, for the water falls by the wizard’s will”. Looking at the water in the tiny well, my wife asked me if I was going to drink it…I said that I would have give it a go if it was gin! And in that moment we talked about the idea of making our own gin.

The Edge Collection

Since starting in 2018, Mike and Clare have created an impressive line up of gins, including liqueurs, sweets a traditional London dry and two slightly more experimental flavourings of Pear and Orange.

The Edge Gin – Premium London dry

The Wolfberry has a sour/tart flavour and is considered a superfruit

Coming in at a healthy 40%vol, their London dry has been crafted around its main botanical – Wolfberry. Defined as a “superfruit”, Wolfberry, or Goji berry, is red in colour and is tart/sour in flavour similar to cranberry but slightly more herbal.

Other botanicals used include Coriander Seed, Orange, Lemon, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Star Anise, Angelica Root, Nutmeg and of course Juniper Berries.

Perfect Serve with Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic, garnish with a slice of orange.

The Edge gin – L’Orange gin

Made by mixing their London with a generous dose of orange zest, L’Orange gin also comes in at 40%. There are no artificial colours or flavours in The Edge L’Orange Gin or any added sugar or sweeteners.

Perfect Serve with Fever-Tree Light Indian Tonic, garnish with a slice of orange.

On the nose, you get zesty orange with a slight note of juniper. To taste juniper comes across first but that is followed by the unmistakable note of fresh orange. Not orange juice but more orange zest – it’s not too sweet either.

It’s not an artificial tasting orange which is nice and while not quite to my tastes (I’d prefer a little more juniper) the flavours are deliciously juicy. Mixed with their suggest tonic (fever tree light) those orange notes come out even stronger – the choice of light tonic is great as it allows the gin to sit proud of the tonic.

The Edge – Pear gin

Similar to the L’Orange, the pear gin uses a base of The Edge London Dry and mixes it with fresh pears. Again, they add no artificial flavourings, sugar or sweetener and it comes in at 40%.

Perfect Serve with a premium elderflower tonic, garnish with a slice of pear.

On the nose, you get pear, pear and more pear. Not a fruity pear more a sweet confectionary pear much like pear drop sweets. To taste, the pear is very upfront – I don’t get much juniper. Personally, I find it a little too sweet for my taste but that’s not to say I don’t like it. The Elderflower tonic takes the sweet edge off the gin and makes quote a refreshing drink.

To Sum up…

I really enjoyed the London Dry, it’s a well-balanced gin with a good punch of juniper. The Orange and Pear are equally good gins, slightly too sweet for my taste but when mixed with the right tonic they really are quite delicious. I think while the London Dry would appeal to your more traditional gin drinker, the orange and pear would appear to those gin lovers who prefer a more relaxed juniper profile.

I’d like to say a big thank you to Mike and Clare from The Edge gin for sending me a sample of their gins – and a big apology for taking so long to write their review! If you want to find it more you can check out their website here, or get social with them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.