The folks behind Wildcat Gin very kindly sent me a whole box of goodies when they released their new bottle; Wildcat Bramble – Blackberry Flavoured Gin. It looked fantastic and I wanted to spend a few weeks trialing it out in a manner of different drinks. I finally got there! This is an honest review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wildcat Gin use a strong brand story as their key marketing strategy. And let me tell you, it’s good. There are so many brands out there competing at the moment, that to some extent it has become saturated. You will see a LOT with the words ‘local’ or ‘craft’ gin written. Don’t get me wrong, flavour, a strong sense of place and knowing about the people behind the bottle are huge factors for me personally, but I know many people who don’t tend to dig so deep. Having a great tale that goes along with your brand can really add something and help you to stand out.

Captain Dudley Broadstreet , to get past the authorities and the gin laws of Georgian England, came up with a great way of hiding his business from the police. He placed the sign of a cat above his rooms and let word spread in drinking circles that a knock, whispered word and coin placed in the cats mouth would see a generous measure of gin dispensed.

The words: Knock Once, Knock Twice, Knock Thrice are embossed on both the Wildcat gin and Wildcat Bramble bottles and make them quite eye catching.

Broadstreet made a fortune but soon cat signs went up all over London and a new gin craze was born.

This story sets up the Wildcat Gin brand and that sense of intrigue is further expanded with the release of Wildcat Bramble. Their tag line is:

“Are you ready to break the curse?”

The Curse

As the story is told, the Devil himself landed in a bramble bush on his way to Hell and was so consumed with rage that he cursed the bush and from that day forward, until now, it’s said that you should never indulge in brambles after September 29th! So are you ready to break the curse?

Wildcat Bramble is made by Whyte and Mackay. Award winning whisky makers with 175 years experience behind them. In 2018 they branched out and released their first gin, Wildcat Gin. They operate five distilleries around Scotland and are home to many huge brands.

Wildcat Bramble on the nose.

This is juicy. You do get a whiff of juniper but it is all about the fruit and another something it took me a while to identify, a light liquorish undertone .

Wildcat Bramble to taste.

It is sweet at first. It has a huge burst of berry and a nice freshness, and leaves just a hint of warmth. But sipped neat it didn’t bring enough juniper to the table for me. Where this gin really comes alive is in the mixing. It is a gin born to be experimented with.

Wildcat Bramble and Tonic; a sharp tonic like Fentimans really brings out a richness in this gin and makes a really great G&T for those who like things on the sweeter side. At 37.5% it is deceptive in that it almost tastes like a liqueur. Anyone who likes their gin with lemonade or prefers a liqueur would love this.

Wildcat Bramble and Prosecco; this is where my head was turned! The colour of this gin is just beautiful and mixed into Prosecco it looks amazing. The bramble flavour really comes through and the sweetness takes a backseat through the bubbles. A huge winner when I served up a tray of these at a party.

Wildcat Bramble Cocktails.

Wildcat Bramble Squared

•20ml Wildcat Gin

•30ml lemon juice

•30ml Wildcat Bramble

•barspoon of sugar syrup

•CRUSHED ICE

Shake the Wildcat Gin with the lemon juice and sugar syrup, strain over a tumbler of crushed ice. Pour over the Wildcat Bramble and garnish.

Wildcat Bramble Pineappletini

•50ml Wildcat Bramble

•50ml Pineapple Juice

•10ml fresh orange juice

•10ml fresh Lime Juice

Shake, shake and shake some more with ice then strain into a martini glass and garnish.

My overall thoughts on Wildcat Bramble Blackberry Gin are that as a mixing spirit it is fantastic. It brings a lot to the table in regards to being able to hold its own in a variety of classic cocktails and allow you not worry about adding a liqueur for sweetness. I wouldn’t recommend it as a gin an tonic for anyone who prefers a London Dry taste but this will be a huge winner for lovers of flavoured gins who still want something punchy that looks great – the bottle and branding are fantastic. The story and marketing for Wildcat Bramble are fun and fresh and do stand out at the moment as a lighter hearted brand with attitude. Can’t wait to see what they have in store next.

You can pick up Wildcat Bramble over at Amazon, Waitrose or Tesco.