Agnes Arber Gin, 70 cl

Product Information

The biggest challenges we’ve encountered have been launching these gins at a time when the gin wave was in full swing. In a highly saturated market, it was a huge worry for us whether we’d be able to cut through and make some noise when there was already so many superb gins about. Our original Premium Gin is made with the same traditional method of gin distilling that was used in Agnes Arber’s day. It is a convergence of nine studiously sourced botanicals and clean, pure alcohol. A solid and heady scent of juniper followed by sweet lemon tones, Arber Premium delivers the expected juniper flavour harmoniously balanced with a soft blend of orange and lemon and a hint of liquorice sweetness to finish. The nine botanicals included in our Arber Premium gin include angelica, cassia, coriander, grapefruit, iris, juniper, lemon, liquorice and orange.

A lover of researching whatever captured her curiosity, Agnes allowed her intellect to veer into areas seldom explored by her botanist peers, such as history, philosophy, poetry, and art. Yet, each of these disciplines molded and refined Agnes’s perspective on plant morphology, and they put her in a unique position to write her most impactful philosophical works in the twilight of her life. When it came time for Agnes to publish her final work, Cambridge snubbed her again when they declined to publish it. As per usual, Agnes persevered without the University’s help. After finishing her Cambridge degree in 1902 Robertson worked in the private laboratory of Ethel Sargant for a year, before returning to University College, London as holder of the Quain Studentship in Biology. She was awarded a Doctorate of Science in 1905. [ citation needed] On 24 May 1948, Agnes Arber became the first woman to receive the Gold Medal of the Linnean Society, a world-famous institution dedicated to the study of natural history. Arber was born in 1879 to artist Henry Robertson who passed down to her his technical drawing skills, utilised by Arber throughout her education and career in the study of plant anatomy. As a botanical historian, she focused her scientific research on flowering plants under the wing of her mentor, morphologist Ethel Sargent. By the time of Arber’s death in 1960, she had published an extensive library of books on both botany and philosophy, ending with 1957’s The Manifold and the One, an exploration of the concept of universal unity.Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business magazine and chair of The Gin Masters 2021 tasting, said: “We’ve all known gin’s popularity has soared over recent years, but to have the chance to taste such a vast assortment of entries from around the world blind, and find so many deserving of top medals, is a testament to the skill and creativity of gin producers today. Sadly, Agnes and Edward would be married for only nine years as Edward died in 1918. And so, before her 40th birthday, Agnes found herself both a widow and a single mother to six-year-old Muriel. After securing help with childcare and household duties, Agnes carried on with her botanical work - she wrote constantly, she was poorly compensated for her work, and she never re-married.

Since her father was the artist Henry Robertson, Agnes learned to draw as a child, and throughout her life, she illustrated all of her own botanical work. Agnes’ mom, also an Agnes, fostered her love of plants. It was here that Robertson first met Ethel Sargant, a plant morphologist who gave regular presentations to the school science club. Sargant would later become her mentor and colleague, having a profound influence on Arber's research interests and methods. [4] [2] Schmid, R. (December 2001). "Agnes Arber, née Robertson (1879–1960): Fragments of her Life, Including her Place in Biology and in Women's Studies". Annals of Botany. 88 (6): 1105–1128. doi: 10.1006/anbo.2001.1553. Stearn, W. T. (December 1960). "Mrs. Agnes Arber: Botanist and Philosopher, 1879 - 1960". Taxon (Reprint of obituary in The Times 24 March 1960). 9 (9): 261–263. doi: 10.1002/j.1996-8175.1960.tb02799.x. JSTOR 1217828. Flavoured gins, too, now account for 40% of all gins sales over the last year with sales increasing 37% year-on-year, proving that the gin renaissance is very much still in full swing and shows little sign of slowing.

Despite Edward’s appeal, for Agnes, Cambridge was tough. Cambridge was a much harder place for a female botanist than London - where Agnes would have had more opportunities, connections, and acceptance. Arber had been introduced to the work of Goethe while at school and remained fascinated by his ideas about botany. [4] In 1946 she published Goethe's Botany, a translation of Goethe's Metamorphosis of Plants (1790) and Georg Christoph Tobler's (1757–1812) Die Natur with an introduction and interpretation of the texts. In 1897, Robertson began studying at University College, London, gaining her BSc in 1899. After gaining an entrance scholarship Arber became a member of Newnham College, Cambridge and took a further degree in Natural Sciences. She gained first class results in every examination at both universities, along with several prizes and medals from University College, London. [3]