Got a burning gin question? Ask #DistillerDave!

The team at Rademon Estate Distillery, home of March Gin of the Month, Shortcross Gin, are passionate about what they do – and they love communicating this passion to gin fans.

They would love YOU to get involved in their ongoing Twitter Q&A with Head Distiller David Boyd-Armstrong (you can read more about him and Shortcross Gin here).

Is there something you've always wanted to know about your favourite tipple? Has tasting your delicious Shortcross Wild Clover Gin special edition got your brain whirring?

Simply tweet your questions to @ShortcrossGin using the hashtag #DistillerDave. We’ll be collecting some of the best conversations and publishing them here later in the month.

In the meantime, here’s a selection of some of the most interesting Q&As with Distiller Dave so far…

What made you choose the style of gin that you’ve created?

When we began to explore what type or style of gin to distil we decided very quickly that we didn’t want to make a London Dry Gin – we aren’t in London after all! We instead focused on making something that reminded us of home, with a view of redefining what an Irish Gin could be. We wanted our gin to bring back the scents of the gardens and forest here at Rademon Estate and give us a gin that could combine where possible local produce.

Distillation of Shortcross in our still is a true love affair, as we like to distil Shortcross slowly to ensure that we deliver the best possible spirit. We firmly believe that good things come to those who wait and having worked hard to get the best possible botanicals we are passionate about getting the best possible end product from them.

The net result is that although Shortcross can be described as a classical style gin, it differentiates itself by being exceptionally aromatic and smooth, and this is what makes Shortcross unique.

At 46% Shortcross is higher ABV than most other gins, why is this?

We set out to distill a gin that would help create the ultimate Gin and Tonic, so in the development stage we played around with all sorts of ABV percentages until we found what we thought was the perfect balance. This allowed the delicate flavours of Shortcross to stand up to the sugars and quinine found in Tonic Water. Tonic Water is there to compliment the gin, not overpower it, so I felt that 46% meant the gin was showcases appropriately.

Which botanical do you think is most important in Shortcross?

Every botanical is there for a reason; to enhance the flavour and aroma of the end spirit. Shortcross Gin is juniper led, just how every good gin should be, and juniper is predominant on both the nose and in taste. Juniper is ultimately the most important botanical, as this is what makes gin, gin. That is not to say that the other botanicals are not equally as important, for example the wild clover provides a natural sweetness and the cassia provides a peppery finish to the gin.