Demijohn - Seasonal Liqueurs With a Difference

Along with what seems like half of the entire population of the UK at the moment, I have a cold.
It was bound to happen, it's that time of the year, I drink too much and don't sleep enough. But MAINLY it's that time of year.

So I was SO pleased when some wintry liqueur samples from Demijohn turned up on my desk. Booze; the perfect medicine.

Demijohn is a spirit-lover's paradise. It is a small chain of shops that are essentially amazing deli's for liquid goodnesses, rather than ham and cheese and all that sort of stuff.

Having started in 2004, there are now shops in Edinburgh, Glasgow and York, as well as a shiny new shop in Oxford that opened just last week. They also have an awesome online store. In all of the above you will find reeeaaally nice artisan spirits, liqueurs, vinegars and oils. The products are all available to buy per in all sorts of different shapes and sizes of bottle, so the products tend to be priced 'per 100ml'.

One of the best things about them is their range of products includes old favourites like damson gin and raspberry vodka, but it also includes certain liqueurs that I'd never heard of before. Sloe sherry? Elderberry and Port? Bramble Scotch? I was completely intrigued.

So let's take a look at what they kindly sent me to cure my (probably terminal) man flu:

I decided to start with some Elderberry and Port Liqueur, because I'm only human after all...

The smell is lovely, fairly subtle, but the elderberry comes through really nicely. It is really smooth to taste, even though it is 17.5%, you could easily knock back far too much of this.

There are really nice fruit flavours, blackcurrant and of course elderflower, that work really nicely together. The flavours turn a little towards raspberry on the finish and there is a lovely warming feel to this liqueur which makes you forget that you are practically DYING of man flu. This one is £3.80 per 100ml from the Demijohn website.

Next up is the Bramble Scotch Whisky Liqueur.

This is a really attractive, vibrant red colour and has a smell that isn't too overly whisky-ish. The fruit leads on the nose but it is backed up with a slight green tea aroma and then the whisky notes start to come through.

This is certainly complex and interesting. The palate is held together beautifully thanks to the structure of the whisky; the warmth and flavour complexity is just perfect. the fruit flavours round everything off and ensure that the flavours aren't too harsh. This is definitely one that would be perfect in a hip flask on a cold day.

The Bramble Scotch Whisky Liqueur is £4.20 per 100ml.

Last but not least is the Sloe Sherry Liqueur and I'm not sure if it's because I'm getting tipsier but these seem to smell more amazing each time I open a new bottle.

This has an unmistakably sherried nose but with the amazingly wintry smell of sloes. To taste, this is appropriately soothing, warming and delicious - an excellent one for sipping on a sleepy Sunday afternoon after a big lunch when it's cold outside. At £4.20 per 100ml, it's well worth trying.

So whether you just need a new winter warmer or you are in need of some grown up medicine to keep you going through the worst cold that you have had in your entire life (and DEFINITELY worse than your other-half has ever experienced), then head to Demijohn online or to one of the stores and get stocked up.

Ever been to Demijohn before? We would love to know what you tried. Let us know by commenting below or on our twitter or facebook page.