Journeyman Bilberry Black Hearts Gin

Back Label: According to Thomas Hardy’s novel, The Return of the Native, the bilberries were called, “black-hearts.” Everyone has a bit of a dark heart, but there’s always a sweet return at the smell and taste of familiar things. Distiller Comments: Indigenous to Britain and northern Europe, the bilberry takes center stage next to a supporting cast of juniper and seven other botanicals in our gin. A cousin to the huckleberry and blueberry, the bilberry is smaller with a fuller taste and is extremely hard to grow. Thus it is seldom cultivated. The fruit is mostly collected from wild plants growing on public lands. It is an everyman’s right to collect bilberries irrespective of land ownership. The bilberry is dark in color and usually appears black, thus the berry was commonly referred to as a black heart in 19th century southwestern England. I hope that this truly unique berry and its flavors of tart fig, pepper, and black licorice rest well on your pallet. Product Information: Juniper, bilberries and seven other botanicals are macerated and soaked in a 100% organic wheat base spirit overnight. The next day the base spirit, by now full of flavor from the botanicals, enters the still and is distilled into a refined gin. The definition of small batch, each gin run produces less than ten gallons of distillate. Bilberry Black Hearts Gin is clean, bright, and fruity with subtle hints of black licorice.