Lemon Peels from Murcia, Spain

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Lemon Peels from Murcia, Spain

Lemon peel brings a strong citrus character to Bombay gins and also lifts the other botanicals. The lemons come from the Murcia region of Spain, a basin between the mountains and the sea that is renowned for its citrus fruit.

The Mediterranean sun and the microclimate in Murcia's valleys allows the citrus fruits to ripen in winter as the temperature never goes below -4˚C due to the convections of hot air that are constantly present, so producing sweeter, juicier lemons.

Growing citrus fruits is a tradition in Murcia, and nearly every family grows lemons, oranges and other fruit. They are cultivated as naturally as possible with minimal use of fertilisers and pesticides. The lemon trees bloom with small pink-white flowers, each flower producing one fruit, so it is essential to prune the flowers to avoid excessive quantities of lemons causing branches to droop or even break with the heavy fruit.

The trees bear fruit when they are aged between three and 30 years old, and are planted close together to maximise production in the small family-owned groves and gardens, so ruling out the possibility of machine harvesting. Generations of each family hand-pick the lemons to ensure that the trees and fruit are not damaged.

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The lemons naturally vary greatly in size and colour, ranging from golf ball- to almost football-sized and these are sorted with the 'standard' size we are all familiar with separated for sale to supermarkets. The over- and under-sized, but still sweet and juicy, lemons are perfect for gin production.

Two types of lemons are used for Bombay gins: Fino (representing 30% cultivation) and Verna (70%). Fino lemons are harvested during the winter months, albeit in smaller quantities, with their harvest between January and April. Verna lemons are from the summer harvest between July and September.

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The main difference between the two types is the thickness of their skin. Fino lemons have a much thicker skin with more oils, but even the Verna has a thick skin compared to other varieties of lemon. This is key to gin production as the zest of the lemons holds essential oils which add a vibrant citrus flavour and a delicate, bitter sweetness. The left-over fruit pulp and flesh is not required for distillation and is juiced for commercial use or sold as additive to animal feed.

The lemons are laboriously hand-peeled in one continuous long winding piece of peel, according to the traditional cut used for generations in Murcia. This labour intensive process avoids the flesh of the lemon and ensures that the whole skin is used. Thinner skinned lemons increase the risk of some of the fruit flesh being left on the skins after peeling, which in turn can rot and ferment causing damage to an entire harvest of dried peels if left unchecked.

Ivano's supplier drives from home to home collecting the dried peels from each family. There are over 4,000 families harvesting and peeling small quantities of lemons in Murcia and also co-operative lemon groves where each family has owned several trees for generations.

Once selected, the lemon peels are broken by hand into smaller pieces, placed in large hessian sacks and shipped to England. Before being sent on to the distillery, the quality of each batch of peels is checked again.

Ivano considers these expensive lemons to be the best choice for Bombay gins. Even when the price of Spanish lemons almost doubled in 2008 he continued to source these varieties.

Bombay Sapphire Distillery (Laverstoke Mill)

Status: Operational
Established: 2013
Owner: Bacardi Limited
Capacity: 2.4m cases annually (with capacity for a million more)
Visitor Policy: Visitors welcome throughout the year
Tel: +44 (0)1256 895 071
Website: Bombay Sapphire Distillery (Laverstoke Mill)
Address: Laverstoke Mill, London Road, Laverstoke, Hampshire, England, RG28 7NR
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