Prince Charles Tests Raw Alcohol

By Staff

Wednesday, January 21, 2009, 14:16

Reportedly Prince Charles favors martinis and was seen enjoying Gin and Tonic at the William Grant & Sons' distillery near Girvan in Ayrshire, Scotland.

During his visit, the Prince of Wales learnt the spirit preparation method. At the palace where the Hendrick's gin is produced, he saw the huge stills containing the alcohol, and 11 bins of the botanicals that were added to it to give it flavour.

The Prince would slid the lid to test the flavorings, some of the important ingredients of the preparations include juniper berries, coriander seeds, and angelica root. He later sipped a glass of Gin that was served to him with cucumber slices.

"He was quite curious because he didn't know the brand. He was very interested in the details of the distillation process and the provenance of the botanicals," the Telegraph quoted Xavier Padovani, of William Grant & Sons, as saying.

"He mentioned that he drinks gin martini from time to time. He smelled a glass of Hendrick's and tasted it and he said he quite liked it. He was very nice," Padovani added. John Ross, technical manager at the distillery, said: "He spoke to me about the botanicals and I thought he was very knowledgeable on the whole subject of botanicals. He was extremely approachable and very knowledgeable and asked very pertinent, shrewd questions."

The prince was shown around the 380 arces site by Peter Gordon, chairman of William Grant & Sons and a member of the fifth generation of the Grant family. The prince also visited the new Ailsa Bay malt distillery, Scotland's newest distillery that began production last autumn and was officially opened on January 19.

The prince was handed a glass of raw alcohol from a case where it is stores before it matures. Brian Kinsman, 36, a blender who has worked for the company for 12 years, said: "He was keen on it. He was actually going to taste it but we said he should not because it's 70 per cent alcohol. He said it had got a fruity character and he seemed to appreciate what that meant.

Kinsman added: "He asked us about the whole blending process and the training to become a blender. He was surprisingly informal and nice to chat to." Prince Charles is also known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland and was shown the cooperage where casks are maintained. AGENCIES