- 1897 Quinine Gin is made with cold distilled cinchona bark and citrus peels.
- Over half the producer’s profit (at least £5 per bottle) donated to Malaria No More UK.
- Saturday 20th August is World Mosquito Day, marking 119 years since the link between malaria transmission and mosquitoes was discovered in 1897.
This Saturday is World Mosquito Day. It’s the anniversary of the day on which Indian-born British Medical Doctor Sir Ronald Ross discovered the malarial parasite in the gut of a female mosquito in 1897. “With tears and toiling breath, I find thy cunning seeds, O million-murdering Death. I know this little thing A myriad men will save.” Ross was subsequently able to establish the complete life cycle of the parasite and lay the foundation for fighting the disease ever since, saving millions of lives.
I find myself writing this the day after staying up into the night to watch Andy Murray, a prominent Malaria No More UK supporter and Leadership Council member, claim a second incredible Olympic Gold medal in Rio. The Olympian also won a second Wimbledon title this year, of course, and you may have seen that he did so with the Malaria No More UK logo upon on his sleeve. This is a charity that we’ve supported over the last year too, of course, with our Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 auction and recent Wolfburn Inaugural Special Edition auction raising over £5,800. Malaria No More UK’s tremendous work protects millions of children and their families and also, crucially, helps unlock the vital funds and leverage government policy in order to #EndMalaria, a preventable and treatable disease.
1897 Quinine Gin – 45.8%
So, what can you do support them this World Mosquito Day? The tastiest option available by far is to pick up a bottle of the excellent 1897 Quinine Gin, taking its name from the year of Ross’ discovery as well as the classic anti-malarial quinine, derived from cinchona bark, which is used as a cold distilled botanical! 1897 Quinine Gin, launched on World Mosquito Day 2015, is also a partner of Malaria No More UK with the producer donating over half their profit (at least £5 per bottle) to the charity. If you followed our Wolfburn auction blog posts then you may already know that £5 is enough to buy, deliver and hang a mosquito net for a family living at risk from malaria in Africa – protecting their children whilst they sleep.
As well as the cold distilled cinchona bark, which contributes meaningfully to the character of the gin with its ethereal, somewhat floral notes, cold distilled fresh white and pink grapefruit peels and lemon peel are used. These are complemented by a selection of traditional pot distilled botanicals including juniper, coriander, angelica, orange, nutmeg, cassia, cinnamon, orris and liquorice. The award-winning packaging, meanwhile, (whilst perhaps not the most important thing) really is extremely pleasing and tactile too. In short, this is a gin you’re going to want a bottle of, and buying one will also benefit a truly great cause.
Jake
