Picture yourself in the south of France on the Côte-d’Azur, visiting a town called Grasse. There are beautiful aromas on the wind because Grasse is widely acknowledged to be the perfume capital of the world, so much so that it was award UNESCO world heritage status in 2018. As you explore the town you realise it’s the perfect place to set up a business, but what type of business should it be? The obvious answer is perfume, but the founder of Comte De Grasse, Bhagath Reddy, saw a better opportunity: gin.
Inspired by the wealth of flowers, fruits and ingredients grown in the town for the perfume trade, Bhagath realised that all these resources are also what’s required for the production of luxury spirits. In fact, the process of distilling a fragrance is not so different from that of distilling a spirit as you might expect and Comte De Grasse quickly earned a reputation for using common perfumery techniques in their processes. The product of these gin-perfume experiments, led by master distiller Marie-Anne Contamin, is 44°N Gin.
44°N Gin combines the best ingredients from around Grasse to create a complex liquid with a fresh and light appeal. Top notes: Lemon zest and grapefruit with notes of sea fennel and mimosa. Complimented by woody Cade. Heart notes: Floral, with hints of rose centifolia and jasmine, accompanied by bitter orange and angelica. Base notes: maceron with a finish evoking iris, honey and musk.
Being the perfume centre of the world, there are thousands of ways to bottle the essence of Grasse, but 44°N does it through your taste buds rather than limiting it to your nose. Speaking of bottling things, 44°N comes in a vibrant blue glass with hand-moulded decoration that depicts the Mediterranean Sea. In the interest of sustainability, Comte De Grasse recommend keeping the bottle as a vase or candle holder once you’ve finished the drink.
Sustainability is the other sting to the distillery’s bow and they use less energy and natural resources than traditional forms of distillation thanks to their innovative use of perfumery techniques. Ultrasonic maceration, vacuum distillation and supercritical CO2 extraction are just some of the methods Comte De Grasse has helped to introduce to spirit manufacturing.
44°N Gin is available online at the Comte De Grasse website for a price of €75 (approx. £60) for 500ml, as well as selected stores. Lastly, you can drink 44°N on its own or as part of a cocktail and if you want to avoid the hassle of mixing your own, Comte De Grasse produce a handy selection of pre-mixed cocktails that you can also find on their website.
More details at Comte De Grasse.
