“It’s quite Norse, that!” – Viking flavours create new taste for botanical gin

A unique collaboration between JORVIK Viking Centre and York Gin is set to have tastebuds tingling this month with the launch of Jorvik Botanicals, an exclusive new gift pack which provides the consumer with a delicious flavour of 10th century York.

“The Vikings loved a drink, and traditionally consumed alcoholic beverages like mead and ale. Although they had left our shores 600 years before the first gin was first brought to the UK, this invitation to collaborate with York Gin was just too good to miss,” comments marketing manager, Paul Whiting. “As ever, we turned to archaeology to look for flavours that the Vikings would have been familiar with which would still appeal to a modern palette, and the unique combination of bilberry and nettle adds a distinctive, unusual twist to the classic taste of York Gin.”

Both bilberries and nettles featured in the Viking diet, with both growing wild around the North. Bilberries thrive on high ground and moorland, with a limited harvesting season of just two months – August and September – when they have to be collected by hand, which makes them unattractive to 21st century mass-market growers, although in the early 20th century, huge quantities were imported from Germany, Holland and Scandinavia. They have a sharp, bitter taste, which complements the slightly peppery flavour of nettles when infused in gin.

Jorvik Botanicals Gin will be launched in time for York’s new horticultural festival, Bloom!, which runs from 5 – 8 July 2018, and will be exclusively available to purchase from JORVIK Viking Centre’s gift shop. However, for a limited period, gin enthusiasts will be able to sample the unique flavour in York’s Evil Eye on Stonegate, which currently holds the Guinness World Record for having more varieties of gin for sale than any other bar on the planet.

“Our gin is the first to be made in York, and indeed, our copper still is named ‘Ebor’ after the Roman name for the city, so although this is a new venture, we’re using traditional methods to create a classic dry gin that fits perfectly with both the historic city and modern tastes. We’re very excited to add this Norse twist to the gin – you get the sights, sounds and smells of Viking-age York in the JORVIK Viking Centre, and now you can enjoy a little taste of our Norse heritage in a refreshing glass of gin!” comments Emma Godivala from York Gin.

The bottles of Jorvik Botanicals, with the bilberries and dried nettles in a canvas pouches, will be priced at £8.50 (5cl) and £35.00 (50cl), available from the JORVIK Viking Centre gift shop in Coppergate from 27 June 2018.

ENDS

For further media information or photographs, please contact:
Jay Commins
Pyper York Limited
Tel: 01904 500698
Email: [email protected]