Last Thursday, I was privleged to attend the launch party for Beefeater 24 at Portland’s Bluehour restaurant. Hosted by Beefeater Master Distiller Desmond Payne himself, the party was a great introduction to the the latest extension of the Beefeater line. Made with a 24 hour maceration of exotic botanicals including sencha tea, Beefeater 24 is a wonderful complement to the other Beefeater marques that I’ve tried. Attendees were a veritable who’s who of Portland cocktail glitterati, and from the time I spent talking to others attending the launch, Beefeater 24 should fare very well in this market.
As it is, Beefeater has distinguished its marques again in a very crowded gin market. From regular Beefeater, to Summer Gin and now Beefeater 24, Beefeater seems to be on a path of offering only the finest crafted gins anywhere. What used to be a sleepy little gin brand has awakened into a force to be reckoned with and I’m both delighted and excited to see what else Beefeater may have in store. When I was in Scotland for the Glenlivet expansion this summer, I had the opportunity to taste an amazing and very rare Beefeater marque at the Malmaison Hotel in Aberdeen. While I cannot remember the name of this particular marque, only that it came in a deep purple glass bottle, it resonated with me in a way that few gins ever have. For those of us in America, we will have to make do with Beefeater, Beefeater Summer Gin and Beefeater 24, which is an embarassment of riches for those of us who enjoy good quality gin.
If you haven’t tried Beefeater 24 yet, I highly recommend it. In Oregon, it should be available in state liquor stores, and if your market hasn’t been gifted with 24 yet, keep an eye out or better yet, ask your local liquor store to stock it. Consumer demand is the key to expanding and establishing quality gin brands like Beefeater 24.