Iceland with Martin Miller's Gin

Imagine my excitement when I was invited to join a trip with Martin Miller's gin to Iceland.A week ago, I boarded a plane and landed in Iceland, with camera in hand. I joined a group of very talented people from all over the world like me; there to learn about the very thoughtful and technical process of making this delicious gin, and to judge a cocktail competition sponsored by Martin Miller's (more on that later).Why Iceland? Besides the herbs and botanicals infused into Martin Millers gin, the live Icelandic spring water is one of the key ingredients. I was more than interested in the process, and I soon learned live Icelandic spring water adds to the flavor and the clarity on the palette.We all piled into a convoy of Rover Defenders and headed out into the rugged moonscape that is the countryside of Iceland to the Martin Miller's Gin bottling plant. We arrived at a metal clad building that housed the bottling facility.Inside, we witnessed the bottling process, and of course we did a taste test with Martin Miller's gin and compared its flavor to another name brand gin. It was 10:00 am; my kind of morning.Botanicals play a key role in the flavor of this soft gin. So much goes into making the final product perfect. Of course the live Icelandic spring water, Tuscan, Macedonian, and Indian Juniper, Chinese Cassia Bark, French Angelica, oranges from Seville, Spain, Florentine Iris, coriander, lime peel, lemon peel, and liquorice root...no wonder it's so delicious!The true fact is that I love gin; the spicy fresh flavors awaken the palette. Gin is perfect for aperitvo, and my choice in a classic martini. And of course, there is nothing like a stellar G&T (gin and tonic).On this trip I met many interesting people, but no one was more interesting and knowledgeable than the owners that were kind enough to talk about their process, and philosophy behind Martin Miller's Gin. P.S. a new twist from Martin Millers gin is to age the gin in barrels. Right now in the experimentation stages, they are trying many different barrels to gauge taste and smokey notes and color.After our tour of the bottling facility, we went straight to the water source: a waterfall about 30 minutes from the bottling plant. Iceland is all about the purest water, and water is one of their big natural resources. I must say it's delicious.Iceland is a special place, and honestly it was not on my bucket list. But I was so happy to have this opportunity to visit. Full disclosure: I think I may have been wrong, and it should have been on my bucket list.Stay tuned for another Iceland post where I had the amazing opportunity to be a judge in an international cocktail competition sponsored by Martin Miller's gin.#lovemyjobcheers xxThis post is sponsored by Martin Miller's Gin all opinions are my own.