A cork stopper and simple tamper seal, all used in hand-finished bottle production.
Nose: starts on citrus note and a kind of smoky hemp influence, really nice. Wild blackberries and dried figs. Dulce de leche. Also nice waxy notes and orange peel. The antique style really, hard to beat.
Mouth: It matches well with the 43% Abv. It's not underpowered and the flavours are nice enough. Some redcurrant and raisin but also a lot of bread, leather and spicy oak. Herbal tea
Finish: medium, with citrusy freshness but also burnt wood, leather and fudge.
A remarkably fine gin that is truly distilled for the inspired.
And what does the distiller say?
How has the journey been for Mary Jane?
It's been an interesting one. We find ourselves including an educational element to every tasting – spreading the word one sip at a time. There is still a lot of misconception and fear surrounding the Cannabis plant and in a country such as ours where laws were created by God fearing conservatives, it's been a delightful opportunity to enlighten and allay those fears.
How have consumers embraced this concept?
They love it. She's definitely our best seller and the crowd favourite. She attracts a huge amount of interest from people from all walks of life, in particular, over 50s conservatives who are opening their minds to the value of Hemp and realizing that the very old fashioned laws and mind numbing conditioning that they grew up with are no longer relevant.
Is Mary Jane available nationwide and where can people buy this gin?
You can find Mary Jane in over 300 liquor stores nation-wide and this is growing daily. We try and update our store locator on our website as often as possible but anyone looking for where to purchase in their neighbourhood is welcome to contact us via our website or on Facebook and we will do our best to point them in the right direction.
Having broken new ground with this sensational gin, what does the future hold for Monks gin?
We're starting to export which is very exciting. We're already shipping to Germany and Mauritius and Australia and Switzerland are next. We're also making headway into Canada and the USA so the future is bright.
Do you think you have ticked all the right boxes into becoming a household brand?
We definitely feel that we've ticked the right boxes. We have three totally different flavour profile gins so our appeal is broad. Our packaging is beautiful, making it a great gift and our pricing is competitive in the hand crafted premium spirits sector.
What has the general feedback been for Mary Jane?
Generally very positive. We have only ever had one person refuse to try it when we were the Gin Box gin of the month. She returned her box in outrage so we replaced it with a Medella which I am sure she enjoyed immensely.
Are there any health benefits in this gin?
There are dozens of health benefits to hemp but it would be remiss of us to say that there are health benefits to drinking in any form. All alcohol should be enjoyed in moderation. If it contains ingredients that could be healthy and delicious at the same time, all the better.
