The gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge is back

Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5
Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5

August and summer season in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at London Heathrow terminal 5 usually means gin festival, and this is also the case this year. If you are tired of the heat outdoors, or tired after running around the airport, you can stress down with a chilling gin and tonic with several different brands to choose between, available at the lounge terrace.

Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5
The gin festival on the lounge terrace

Both the Gold Bar inside the lounge and the bar at the terrace, overlooking the apron and the runways, have a gin theme also this year with a nice selection of brands.

Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5
The gin festival at the Gold Bar inside the lounge

Unfortunately the gin festival is somewhat underwhelming this year, at least compared to the fantastic gin festival they had last year when the whole lounge terrace was made into a Kew Gardens summer terrace. There are no similar arrangemants this year

Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at London Heathrow
The gin festival in the lounge in 2017

But nevertheless there are some nice brands to try, and one of the most interesting ones, if you have not tried it yet, is British Airways’ own gin, which is usually available in British Airways First Class as well as in the Concorde Room lounge nextdoor.

Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5
British Airways Tailored Gin

Some other brands to try at the Gold Bar include Cambridge Dry Gin, Hunters Chesire Gin and Caorunn Gin. The latter getting more and more common.

Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5
Cambridge Dry Gin
Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5
Hunters Cheshire Gin
Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5
Caorunn Gin

Two far more unusual brands include The Wrecking Coast Gin, which is actually a clotted cream gin with a rather fun but unusual taste.

Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5
The Wrecking Coast Clotted Cream Gin

And Salcombe Gin, produced in Devon in south-western England.

Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5
Salcombe Gin

Last year Peter Spanton tonic water was offered during the gin festival and this is also the case this year. And there are several different tonic waters to choose between. Interestingly there is even a sign giving recommendations on the best gin and tonic pairings for some of the gins available.

Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5
Peter Spanton perfect pairings

I decided to try the second pairing, the Salcombe Gin with a Peter Spanton No 13 Salted Paloma. This ended up being something far different from a standard gin & tonic with a rather bitter and salty taste. Not really to my liking, but others may think differently. Interesting to try nevertheless.

Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5
Salcombe Gin and Peter Spanton No 13

At the end I settled with a standard gin and tonic with a Caorunn gin. They have proper gin and tonic glasses as well during the summer gin festival, which is a nice touch.

Gin festival in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow terminal 5
A Caorunn gin and tonic, in a 6 O’Clock gin glass

Although this year’s gin festival can not be compared to the fantastic ones in 2017 or 2016, these lounge festivals are still some of the highlights of the British Airways Galleries First Lounge. There is almost always something going on in the lounge.

Previously there have been many other opportunities to try different brands and beverages, including vodka, whisky and Rioja wines.

About MorePremium.com 1018 Articles
My interest in premium travels and frequent travels started in the 90’s, so to date I have over 20 years of premium travel experience. MorePremium.com will mostly be about my own experiences, based on my own knowledge and my travel history, but you will also find news items, analyses, tips and tricks and reports from events.

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