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HI there,

Anyone tried adding seaweed/kelp/kombu as a botanical?

How much did you use?

I harvested some kelp and dried it, but it doesn't smell pleasant and I haven't made anything with it.

If you have a mini still, I suggest you make an essence using neutral.

I use 60g per liter of 43% and take 440ml. Smell a 10ml foreshot and decide if you want to include it.

Every liter of essence contains the VOCs from 136g of botanical. Use that to calculate how much to blend into your gin, whatever.

Is this the famous Sugar Kelp that Harris Gin uses?

I managed to get a bottle here in Brazil recently, and it's very nice, but I wasn't sure what the Kelp added, as I don't know the flavour - I guess it's a cold water seaweed?

Distilling it on its own sounds the best approach, to see where the 'good' flavours come through. I need to see what edible seaweeds are available on the coastline here to see find out what the flavour profile is like.

Saccharina latissima is a brown alga (class Phaeophyceae), of the family Laminariaceae. It is known by the common names sugar kelp,[2] sea belt,[3] and Devil's apron,[4] and is one of the species known to Japanese cuisine as kombu.[5] It is found in the north Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean and north Pacific Ocean. It is common along the coast of Northern Europe as far south as Galicia Spain, the coast of North America north of Massachusetts and central California, and the coast of Asia south to Korea and Japan.[6]

https://harrisdistillery.com/blogs/jour ... p-spring-1

Tōtōchtin wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 8:08 am Saccharina latissima is a brown alga (class Phaeophyceae), of the family Laminariaceae. It is known by the common names sugar kelp,[2] sea belt,[3] and Devil's apron,[4] and is one of the species known to Japanese cuisine as kombu.[5] It is found in the north Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean and north Pacific Ocean. It is common along the coast of Northern Europe as far south as Galicia Spain, the coast of North America north of Massachusetts and central California, and the coast of Asia south to Korea and Japan.[6]

https://harrisdistillery.com/blogs/jour ... p-spring-1

Thanks for that good information - doesn't sound like I am going to find it around the coast of Brazil then!

NZChris wrote: ↑Sat Jan 28, 2023 8:41 pm
I use 60g per liter of 43% and take 440ml. Smell a 10ml foreshot and decide if you want to include it.

Every liter of essence contains the VOCs from 136g of botanical. Use that to calculate how much to blend into your gin, whatever.

Didn’t want to create a new thread so if ye don’t mind will use this one.

I live on the island in Ireland and we are surrounded by any and every type of seaweed here. I was wondering if anyone try to use any other type of seaweed for gin.
Mostly interested in use of Dilisk (Palmaria palmata) or Carrageen (Chondrus crispus).
What botanicals would you pair it with?

Also NZChris could you please explain VOC, so if per 1L I use 30g of botanicals, I want to use let’s say 5ml of essence per L?

Thanks!!

I've made a few attempts at making a gin comparable to Isle of Harris using the OEG method.
I started by trying to match the level of the familiar botanicals (w/o sugar kelp) with IoH. After 3 tries I got pretty close.

My next batch I added 3 g sugar kelp. After distilling it was nasty bitter and the remaining slop looked like green pea soup. It tasted pretty good before distillation, so for the next batch I removed the sugar kelp before distillation, and it turned out well, but the kelp was quite subtle. For the next batch I decided on 6 g kelp, and that seemed to be the right amount, so I stopped there.
I think the sugar kelp adds a subtle taste of salty sweetness.

For a 750 ml bottle, grind

15 g juniper
4 g coriander
1 g angelica root
1 g licorice root
2 g cassia bark
3 g dried bitter orange peel
3 cubeb peppercorns

in a bladed coffee grinder and add to 1 liter 45% neutral

Then add 6 g dried sugar kelp (without grinding or chopping it)
Mascerate for about 48 hours.
REMOVE SUGAR KELP BEFORE DISTILLATION using the OEG method. (discard 10 ml, collect 400 ml, dilute to 750 ml )

higgins wrote: ↑Tue Sep 17, 2024 9:15 am I've made a few attempts at making a gin comparable to Isle of Harris using the OEG method.
I started by trying to match the level of the familiar botanicals (w/o sugar kelp) with IoH. After 3 tries I got pretty close.

My next batch I added 3 g sugar kelp. After distilling it was nasty bitter and the remaining slop looked like green pea soup. It tasted pretty good before distillation, so for the next batch I removed the sugar kelp before distillation, and it turned out well, but the kelp was quite subtle. For the next batch I decided on 6 g kelp, and that seemed to be the right amount, so I stopped there.
I think the sugar kelp adds a subtle taste of salty sweetness.

For a 750 ml bottle, grind

15 g juniper
4 g coriander
1 g angelica root
1 g licorice root
2 g cassia bark
3 g dried bitter orange peel
3 cubeb peppercorns

in a bladed coffee grinder and add to 1 liter 45% neutral

Then add 6 g dried sugar kelp (without grinding or chopping it)
Mascerate for about 48 hours.
REMOVE SUGAR KELP BEFORE DISTILLATION using the OEG method. (discard 10 ml, collect 400 ml, dilute to 750 ml )

Thanks Higgins,

I will try that. Might as well try with dillisk instead of sugar kelp.

Cristoir wrote: ↑Tue Sep 17, 2024 7:06 am Also NZChris could you please explain VOC,

Google VOC. VOCs are what distilling is all about, so you need to know what they are.

Cristoir wrote: so if per 1L I use 30g of botanicals, I want to use let’s say 5ml of essence per L?

Sorry, but I don't teach maths, or mark results.

higgins wrote: ↑Tue Sep 17, 2024 9:15 am I've made a few attempts at making a gin comparable to Isle of Harris using the OEG method.
I started by trying to match the level of the familiar botanicals (w/o sugar kelp) with IoH. After 3 tries I got pretty close.

My next batch I added 3 g sugar kelp. After distilling it was nasty bitter and the remaining slop looked like green pea soup. It tasted pretty good before distillation, so for the next batch I removed the sugar kelp before distillation, and it turned out well, but the kelp was quite subtle. For the next batch I decided on 6 g kelp, and that seemed to be the right amount, so I stopped there.
I think the sugar kelp adds a subtle taste of salty sweetness.

For a 750 ml bottle, grind

15 g juniper
4 g coriander
1 g angelica root
1 g licorice root
2 g cassia bark
3 g dried bitter orange peel
3 cubeb peppercorns

in a bladed coffee grinder and add to 1 liter 45% neutral

Then add 6 g dried sugar kelp (without grinding or chopping it)
Mascerate for about 48 hours.
REMOVE SUGAR KELP BEFORE DISTILLATION using the OEG method. (discard 10 ml, collect 400 ml, dilute to 750 ml )

Looks good - well done on the reverse engineering! I can't get Isle of Harris Gin here in Brazil, and it really is something quite special!

One thing of note - Isle of Harris do not claim to be a London Dry Gin, but rather just a 'Gin' which could be a Scottish thing (The Botanist also rebuke the London Dry tag, and call theirs Islay Dry Gin) but could suggest the Sugar Kelp is actually distilled separately and blended after distillation of the main botanicals, or could be that it's an infusion done after distilling. I think the later is less likely, as it would impart colour to the finished product I assume, so I wonder if the sugar kelp is distilled on its own, the best part removed (based on flavour) and blended. As a side note to support this idea, they mention that the kelp is only harvested in Spring, which would suggest they are either preserving it to supply their needs for the year, or distilling it separately when it's available, to make enough distillate to blend as and when they need it throughout the year.

Cristoir wrote: ↑Tue Sep 17, 2024 7:06 am

NZChris wrote: ↑Sat Jan 28, 2023 8:41 pm
I use 60g per liter of 43% and take 440ml. Smell a 10ml foreshot and decide if you want to include it.

Every liter of essence contains the VOCs from 136g of botanical. Use that to calculate how much to blend into your gin, whatever.

Didn’t want to create a new thread so if ye don’t mind will use this one.

I live on the island in Ireland and we are surrounded by any and every type of seaweed here. I was wondering if anyone try to use any other type of seaweed for gin.
Mostly interested in use of Dilisk (Palmaria palmata) or Carrageen (Chondrus crispus).
What botanicals would you pair it with?

Also NZChris could you please explain VOC, so if per 1L I use 30g of botanicals, I want to use let’s say 5ml of essence per L?

Thanks!!

Don't bother with carageen, it is flavourless. It is used to make a pudding on the west of Scotland and without adding something to give it flavour, it is an utterly tasteless blomange.