Dry summer Sloes entrants

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The efforts of local Sloe Gin makers were tested at Olde Worlde Wines on Thursday January 26.

Danny Delenio ponders one of the samples

It has been a difficult year for lovers of the drink. The dry summer was not a friend to the little red berries and many local blackthorn bushes remained stubbornly barren. hard work and much searching being required to find sufficient to make a reasonable quantity of the gin.

For this reason entries to the competition were well down on last year with a number of potential contestants excusing themselves on the grounds that either there were not sufficient sloes to make the drink or that the quality of the sloes was not good enough to produce a high standard of the finished product. However a hardened group of makers were not to be put off and turned up to have their results examined by the four judges: Danny Delenio of Olde Worlde Wines, Margaret O’Neil, Ben Fenton and Hubert Lalagne.

Judge Margaret O’Neil presents the trophy to Dennis Leeds-George

After much discussion, nodding of heads, second tastings and what appeared to be an essay on each sample being written by one judge, a unanimous decision was reached on who should be the winner.

And the winner was Dennis Leeds-George with a gin that was so good that this writer was forced to have several glasses. Dennis has been making sloe gin for many years and his experience showed through in a difficult year. 2nd place was awarded to Kenneth Bird and 3rd was shared between Dennis Leeds-George’s second entry and last year’s winner, John Minter.

Congratulations go to all the entrants who demonstrated that, even in a poor year, it is still possible to produce a good result.

Photos: John Minter

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