I have vast amounts of un-tested booze piling up in my apartment #firstworldproblems and there was an overwhelming amount of gin so I decided to do a category tasting.
These gins have been building up ever since last fall so a few of them are hardly new, but they're all new to me.
I smelled and tasted these gins with and without water added, but not in any cocktails.
Roxor Gin
I wrote about this one before but didn't taste it until now. This gin is grapefruit, grapefruit, grapefruit on the nose, mouth, and finish. I thought I tasted something berry-like as possible pomegranate, but I think that's the hibiscus that's in the gin. The finish on this is crazy - spicy hot. I believe it's the cinnamon in the gin - I couldn't so much taste it as feel it, like the pin pricks you get on your tongue when eating Red Hots or an Atomic Fireball.
Nolet Silver Gin
This gin is creamy, like a banana-lime-rhubarb-Orange Julius. On the palate the floral aspects come out lilac/lavender and more lime. It has so much flower power to it that it's a bit overwhelming; approaching perfumy. I don't think I'd like it on its own in a Martini but I actually have tried it in cocktails and it's nuts. I think it has huge consumer potential.
No. 3 Gin
This gin is a cardamonster. I think they should call it No. 13 because it's like they took the cardamom-dominant Tanqueray No 10 and turned it up a few notches. It is a London dry-style gin, still, with juniper coming in just under the cardamom with a dry, peppery finish.
Darnley's View Gin
Apparently this gin is made with six botanicals including elderflower. Well I had a hard time tasting much of anything. I got alcohol first, then after a long smell the juniper and lemon zest. The cardamom came out a little on the palate but instead of tasting flowery, I tasted hay or grass. A big part of this may be the gin's relatively low 40% ABV. More on that later in the post.
DOSA Blade Gin
San Francisco Indian restaurant DOSA had a gin made for them at the nearby Old World Spirits. The gin is initially creamy with soft vanilla, but then quickly spicy - the regular Blade gin has cayenne pepper but I was getting crushed red chili peppers (aka pizza flakes). The gin is dusty yet creamy and a touch of spicy. It's kind of crazy, and I think all in a good way. I look forward to trying it in cocktails at the bar.
Fifty Pounds Gin
The most classic of this bunch, Fifty Pounds Gin tastes of juniper, dry lemon, cardamom something spicy that I guessed was ginger but is probably the grains of paradise in the recipe. (Turns out grains of paradise are a relative of ginger.) With added water this gin became surprisingly sweet and reminded me of the flavor of powdered orange/lime candy. Would be interesting to taste it in cocktails.
Edinburgh Gin
I think I got this gin at last year's Tales of the Cocktail, which means I'm really far behind in tasting products as that was nearly a year ago. The juniper in this gin tastes fresh, bordering on blueberries or plums rather than dry pine. That said I get a lot of dry, baked spices on the palate (along with coriander) and something that reminds me of curry. I like the combination of fresh and dry in this gin.
And now, something interesting. These gins' alcoholic content (except DOSA's, I don't know it).
- Dornley's View 40%
- Edinburgh 43%
- Fifty Pounds 43.5%
- Roxor 45%
- No. 3 46%
- Nolet 47.6%
Those are some boozy gins! No wonder the highest proof ones were so flavorful.
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