Ungava, a premium gin from Canada’s frozen north, is relatively unknown in Asia, but that could be about to change as Asia’s ginophiles seek out unique spirits.
In a scene increasingly dominated by luxury brands, a spirit’s story becomes more powerful than the sum of its parts. Fortunately, Ungava, a premium Canadian gin infused with the exotic herbs and berries of the Arctic, has the story and the unique flavour profile to make significant headway with both bartenders and intrepid gin sippers.
READ: This Body Butter Will Cure What Ails You
Ungava, named for the peninsula in northern Canada where the vast plains of tundra meet the icy seas, is produced using a distinctive series of rare botanicals, which are indigenous to this frozen wilderness and are hand-harvested by local Inuit during the fleeting summer season. The result is a bold yet elegant gin, with a distinctive flavour profile that won it acclaim at the 2011 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Ungava Peninsula, which juts out into the frozen landscape of Hudson Bay, at the northern tip of Quebec, is an awe-inspiring landscape bound by snow and ice for nearly nine months of the year. Ungava means “towards the open water” in the local Inuit tongue and the peninsula is a land of long days, equally long nights, celestial lights, deep lakes and silently drifting ice flows. It’s in this harsh yet beautiful landscape that Ungava’s six rare botanicals, including wild rosehip, Nordic juniper, Labrador Tea and cloudberries, are collected.
READ: Italian Food for the Soul
All gin starts with juniper; in the case of Ungava, Nordic juniper berries give the spirit a gin-like base that is at the same time fruity and earthy. Rosehip is often used in perfume production and is taken by the Inuit for its rich Vitamin C. In Ungava, it contributes a tart yet fruity-floral linger, with a subtle but distinctive sweetness.
Labrador Tea and Arctic Blend are both popular ingredients in traditional Inuit tea and can be found throughout the Ungava region. Both have clusters of tiny white fragrant flowers and distinctive evergreen leaves, which contribute a distinctive herbal profile and an underlying botanical base to Ungava. The amber-coloured fruit of rubus chamaemorus, or cloudberries, is often used to make jam in the far north of Canada, Russia and Europe, and brings a fruity quality to the gin, as well as a mellow yellow hue, as do crowberries, a traditional Inuit medicine that features a tart juice.
The combination of these rare herbs and flowers as botanicals has led to a luxurious gin that’s well-balanced and slightly spicy. Despite a higher than usual alcohol strength of 43.1 per cent, Ungava is silky smooth, thanks to pure spring water and the traditional steeping process of the botanicals. As eye-catching as the botanicals are imaginative, Ungava’s sleek, clean-lined bottle is made with thick, pristine glass that helps accentuate the gin’s natural yellow hue. Look out for the inclusion of Inuktitut, the native language of the Inuit, on the label.
For more Wines & Spirits inspiration click here.
LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? FOLLOW ALPHA MEN ASIA ON FACEBOOK, OR INSTAGRAM AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR HONG KONG-CENTRIC NEWSLETTER HERE