Numbers and products have been linked for countless years. You’ll find them on cars, beauty products, gadgets, etc., with most simply signifying that it’s the latest in a long line. Purity Distillery’s use of a number is somewhat different as it shows the number of processes they use to make their products.

Thirty-four is somewhat of a strange number. If you were to ask someone to link something to 34, unless you were extremely lucky and that was their age or the age of a person close to them, they would probably stare blankly at you. That, however, is excellent news for Purity Distillery as they are in the ideal position to link something to this number and a couple more inextricably.

Recently, the distillery sent a bottle of their Purity Gin 34. Although I can go a whole year without a drop of alcohol passing my lips, when it does, it will invariably be in the form of a refreshing gin. Currently, I am on one of my long term sabbaticals from alcohol. Therefore I won’t be commenting on its taste; instead, I’ll be looking into the enormous efforts Purity Distillery puts in to make it and their other spirits.

The first thing to note with the Purity Gin 34 is the extraordinary bottle it comes in. The bottle reminds me of the cut glass and crystal I used to see in people’s houses during my childhood days and it would without any doubt stand out in a crowded drinks cabinet or behind a bar.

For years, I have been saying that wines and spirits producers needed to make more of an effort if they wanted their products to be classified as premium and Purity Distillery has done just that with their Purity Gin 34. To complement the extraordinary design of the bottle, Purity has added blue and gold colours in their labelling and on the stopper, which adds to the premium look.

The clue is in the numbers
The number 34 is the special thing that makes the gin and vodka made by Purity gin different from others. The number on each bottle signifies the number of times each spirit has been distilled. The distillery’s Master Blender and CEO Mathias Tönnesson experimented for ten years until he felt he had produced the perfect spirit, and to achieve this took 34 distillations.

Mathias, alongside his Master Distiller Stefan Magnusson, is constantly refining the art of distillation by introducing new modern methods and techniques whilst being surrounded by the history and tradition of their home on the 13th century Ellinge Castle estate in Southern Sweden.

All the ingredients used by the distillery are organic, including the base alcohol. The result of this is that their Purity Vodka became one of the first to be given Certified Organic Classification.

Their products
Purity Distillery produces small batches of hand-crafted gins and vodka’s, distinguished by a number. According to the distillery, customers in Sweden and the United Stated prefer bottles with the number 34. Although 34 has been the focus of this article, the distillery’s offerings start with the number 17.

Double the number of distillations, and you arrive at the signature Gin 34 sat on my desk and tripling it results in the ultra-premium Purity Connoisseur Vodka 51.

I’ve been told that the distillation process created exceptionally smooth tasting spirits with varying degrees of flavours. The smoothness is down to the repeated contact with the 600-litre copper stills. This repeated contact helps to remove the ethanol and produces new taste aromas as the spirits develop.

Purity currently offers three variations of gin, with each having a distinct flavour profile. Organic Old Tom Gin uses organic sugar cane to create sweetness; Organic Nordic Dry Gin and their Organic Navy Strength Gin, which the ISC has awarded its highest accolade.

The Vodka collection consists of the Estate 17 Edition Vodka, the Signature 34 Edition and the Connoisseur 51 Reserve. These have been a big hit in the spirits industry, with just the 34 edition alone garnering 150 awards in the international Vodka Masters. In addition to these three variations, Purity Distillery also produces a fourth lower-alcohol vodka called the Purity Spritz, which contains orange, grapefruit, and bergamot notes.

The Purity Distillery Gin 34 and their other products have been grouped under the name ‘Spirits of Sweden’. Prices for the gins start at £33.00, with the vodka and Navy Strength Gin starting at £40.00.

For more information about the Purity Distillery, the ‘Spirits of Sweden’, and with details of where to purchase, visit www.puritydistillery.com.

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