First Impressions
6 O'Clock Brunel Edition adds six spice botanicals — green cardamom, nutmeg, cumin, cassia bark, cubeb pepper and lemon — to the original London Dry recipe, then bottles at export strength 50%. Named for Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Bristol's engineering hero. £1 from every bottle goes to the SS Great Britain Trust.
Tasting
The nose delivers juniper backbone with cardamom and black pepper, moderately herbal with earthy angelica and orris. On the palate, a nice nutmeg kick up front with gentle sweetness, cinnamon and orange peel melding nicely, with cardamom, cumin and piney juniper well balanced alongside peppery heat. The finish is dry, fragrant and warming.
The Bottom Line
6 O'Clock Brunel earns an 8 for a genuinely complex spiced gin at export strength. The cumin is an unusual and effective addition, and the 50% carries the expanded botanical bill with authority. Charitable purpose, Bristol heritage, and excellent gin — engineering excellence in a bottle.
