‘For the love of gin’: a modern day ginaissance

Whether you’ve always been a fan or jumped on the bandwagon during the recent ‘ginaissance’, you’ll know that gin, is in. According to a recent report by Mintel, UK gin sales are set to top £1bn this year for the first time, with millennials drinking more gin than ever. Once the chosen tipple of our elderly relatives, millennials are making gin super cool. Since 2010, gin sales have increased by 40% and are expected to continue to rise, hitting £1.3bn by 2020.

The first element to consider is the gin itself. In the past six years, the number of gin distilleries in the UK has more than doubled, with 49 new distilleries opening in 2015 alone.

Then there’s the mixer. It’s likely going to be a tonic, and with the increase in popularity of gin, tonic is also riding the wave. You can choose from your average supermarket own brand or a trusty Schweppes, however gin connoisseurs are opting for premium tonics to accompany their premium gins.

Fever Tree tonics have seen exceptional growth in recent years with UK sales increasing by 108% during the first half of 2016 and a revenue of £15.8m. EasyJet have reported a 42% increase in sales of gin and tonic on their flights since Fever Tree tonics were introduced on the menu.

The garnish of choice was once a slice of citrus fruit or cucumber, but now you can swill a handful of peppercorns in there or a sprig of rosemary to mention just a few. Not forgetting the all-important glassware. With fierce competition from distilleries popping up all over the country, the branding and bottle are just as important as the botanicals themselves. Isle of Harris distillery had to limit their visitors to one bottle of gin per person earlier on this year after unprecedented demand and a closure of their bottle manufacturing site.

So when did the gin craze really begin? The earliest records of gin date back to the 17^th century when soldiers discovered the spirit in Holland during the Thirty Years War. The term ‘Dutch courage’ was soon coined, though the British version turned out to be rather headier than the original Dutch remedy. By the early 18^th century, London was practically drowning in gin. 7,000 gin shops had opened in the city by c 1730, and many more illegal shops besides. Not at all refined like the gin we drink today, the concoctions often included sulphuric acid and turpentine, and were known to cause blindness. Hogarth’s Gin Lane depicted scenes of squalor and despair, and the spirit became known as ‘mothers ruin’ after a woman allegedly strangled her two-year-old son to death to sell his clothes for gin money. The spirit’s reputation and taste had both began to evolve by the 19^th century, and pop-up food stalls would sell hot gin with gingerbread at fairs and public executions.

Today, gin is widely known as Britain’s national drink, and most premium gins hail from the many distilleries around the UK. The Phillippines drink more gin than any other country, which is why it’s just been bumped up to the top spot on my list of future holiday destinations.

Is it gin o’clock yet?

Written by Kayleigh Tarrant, Coriolis Ltd

References:

http://www.foodrepublic.com/2014/08/19/why-is-everybody-suddenly-drinking-gin-and-tonics-all-the-time/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/story/20150610-london-city-of-sin

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/mar/09/gin-consumption-soars-amid-boom-in-new-uk-distilleries

The Effects of Leadership on Laundry

I’m currently preparing to race across the Atlantic again and recently completed a training weekend with my skipper and afterguard (boat staff).  The aim of the trip is much the same as the previous one; set sail from Europe and arrive in one piece in Bermuda. This time however, the team I’ll be sailing with is a completely different one, and I suspect the two trips will be very different despite the route taken.

The first time I crossed the Atlantic I knew we were to eventually arrive in Bermuda, and I knew we had to cross the Atlantic to achieve this. That was pretty much it. We had a shift pattern to stick to of course, but if you fell asleep on the night shift nobody really minded too much.

During a recent training weekend in preparation for the next trip, we had to get to grips with the boat and find out how we would work together as a team. This time, the way we will work is very clear – when we cross the Atlantic, racing and winning will be at the forefront of everyone’s minds; our aim is to cross the Atlantic within 17 days. I know exactly what is expected of me this time, and I’ll know how the members of crew under my watch shall be led. And I know that getting caught sleeping on the night shift will mean suffering the consequences this time around!

It’s not often you get exactly the same project come up again in the workplace, with the same goals, the same measures and the same plan. In this case the only difference is the teams. As a junior project manager and avid people watcher, it’s a fantastic opportunity to see the effect people can have on a task.

The differences in leadership styles have already set the tone for the trip, much like project managers can set the tone for a project. Even our kit list shows the difference in attitudes; washing detergent has been wiped from the list as we won’t have time to wash clothes this time around.

Observing the effect that our skipper has had on this next challenge has led me to think more about the role of a project manager and the effect they can have on the outcome of their work. It took us 24 days to cross the Atlantic last time, but with a different leader we’re aiming to do it in no more than 17 days. A determined, positive attitude can be infectious and can draw out the best from your team. But finding the balance is equally key. My role on the boat will be to ensure the skipper doesn’t put the desire to win ahead of the needs of the crew. Good work stream leaders will respect the tone set by the project manager and the team, but also have the capacity to challenge them if the project team is suffering as a result.

Written by Imelda McGrath, Coriolis Ltd