u/Particular-Wall1308

Hello all! Barr Hill Gin out of Vermont is getting reviewed today! A beautiful yellow hue and a startling line up, of, as far as I can tell, only two botanicals: juniper and raw honey. I suspect there might be some coriander or Orris root because the bottle says there is a bit of a secret, but perhaps not.

The smell is not complex for a gin, until you realize that the earthy, savory, sweet, and robustness is all coming from the honey. So for a honey, it is quite complex. Juniper follows with its traditional lovely piney and sweet earthiness. The sweet smell is not artificial or off putting.

The taste is wonderful! A sweet and savory blend that is both simple, yet complex. The honey is strong but not over bearing and the juniper gets plenty of time to shine.

My one complaint or criticism is the limited versatility of the gin!

Overall- 4.2/5 stars, a great and unique gin with tons of integrity and flavor!

Yet another strawberry gin review! There are so many of these damn things out there, but I will not pass up a review to give yall good info on what to buy! This one brings surprises!!!
Please remember that these reviews focus on critiquing the gin for what it is trying to be! It is not trying to be a complex modern gin! It’s trying to be a strawberry gin, which is a common practice in the gin world! It will be reviewed according to what IT WANTS TO BE!

The smell is actually different from your usual Strawberry gins, the berries are much more dialed back and you can pick up on notes of juniper, coriander, and faint citrus! A problem with these strawberry gins is that they often feel like they use the berries to cover up a bad gin, not this one!

The taste mimics the smell! Definitely a lot of pungent strawberry, but not so much to overpower the core gin experience! There is some sharpness that is welcomed and the juniper really lasts on the tongue!! Wow!! Not artificial or syrupy (looking at you Indoggo)…

Overall, for a strawberry gin, 4.4/5- probably the best strawberry gin I’ve had yet!

Hello everyone! Today I am reviewing Song Cai’s rosella gin. This gin has a dark red hue due to an infusion (not distillation) of gooseberries. This is only 32.5% and acts more like a liquor than a spirit.

The smell is a pungent spice that gives way to some acid citrus smells. The earthiness of the gooseberries is notable.

The taste is quite unexpected. Pungent earthy spice that has a good balance of bitterness and tart. No obvious gin tastes but some faint echoes of juniper and coriander (or something similar) are hidden in there. This is not overly sweet and tastes very clean and honest. I have been enjoying the other two Song Cai Gins which are also great, and you can get a hint of their dry gin in this, but again, it’s faint.

Overall, 3.3/5 stars. Not very versatile and I drank the whole bottle neat. Unique, fun, and an exciting product from Vietnam!

Found a 375ml bottle of Beefeater from 2015, still 47%. Do I open it or is it worth holding? Is it rate? You can barely see the 2015

It has been quite a long time since my last review. Although I have been drinking gin every day, I have not had the time or patience to sit and author a detailed review; that changes today. My wife surprised me this bottle of Silks Irish Dry Gin. It is distilled with 14 botanicals, on them being apple blossom. If you have kept up with my reviews, I find gins distilled with apple to have a type of spiced earthiness that does not sit well with me, no better word than 'musky'. This might also come from very heavy anise gins.
The nose of this gin is absolutely wonderful. The apple is present right of the bat, but the intense juniper, honey and other spices really wrap up the apple in a lovely herbal aroma. No synthetic smell. The distillery I work at also makes gin with grapefruit, just like Silks, and the nose reveals this easily. A great smell.

The taste has juniper intermingling with warm winter-like spices up front. It is very soft but not lacking in any flavor. Of course, with 14 plants, it has a lot of complexity and evolution. Longevity is also high, its a quality sipper. Price was fair and honestly very well worth it (40$+). The apple is surprisingly the most tolerable of all the gins I have had. The spices are carrying a lot of the weight here, but because coriander specifically is so complex, it makes a wonderful symphony of taste. Floral notes are also very prevalent, coming from the elderflower.

Overall, 4.6/5 stars, a wonderful gin that I would be happy to have again. Versatile, but I recommend dry or cirtus forward drinks with it.

Finally!! If they buff this gun I’ll be so mad. Taking autographs. Btw I’ve never stepped foot in a bot lobby and I’m proud

Hello! My wife drives a 2012 Nissan juke and the mirror recently came off after a small accident. I bought a replacement glass but it seems to be missing some sort of base!?!? Can anyone link me to what I need to buy to fix the mirror?

Hello everyone, a fun one here today! I am very biased to Germany and love almost all things German, (except for you know what). Today is Elephant Gin from Germany! A gin that gives 15% of proceeds to protecting elephants from ivory trade. Good on them, but this won’t be factored into scoring.

Nose is juniper forward and crisp and sharp at 90 proof. There is a spiced baked apple smell lingering in the background (apples are botanical in the gin) with faint citrus. The citrus is faint and there is no floral or sweet smell. Lots of earthy and spicy notes.

Taste is thankfully juniper forward but it is cut quite short with a spiced apple taste (possibly anise or ginger). I have not been the biggest fan of the gins that have apple as a botanical (Normindia and Ameris have received reviews on this page). Thankfully, the apple is not too strong and I can say this is the best gin with apple that I have had so far. Coriander is in the after taste and is a welcome flavor. Complex but not crazy with medium longevity.

Overall: 4.3/5 clean, unique, and the bitter savory you might be looking for! Love German gins but I have had way better!

Hello everyone! Reviewing a popular one today! Gunpowder gin has many ubiquitous botanicals but also 4 vapor infused plants (3 citruses and gunpowder tea).

The smell of this gin is crazy! Spicy citrus leads the way. Sweet lime follows with pretty strong floral aromas as well. Coriander is strong and the lemon and lime blend well aromatically!

The taste leads with coriander, rich and citrusy. Juniper and a savory blend follows with notable Angelica and anise. I’m not a huge fan of anise because it can get quite, idk… musky I guess, in gins. The lime and grapefruit give a great follow up note that is sweet but not overwhelmingly or artificially.

Overall 4.4/5- a solid and complex gin that is versatile in many cocktails!

Hello everyone! It’s that time where we get yet another Hendrick’s product. I’ve reviewed many on here and I generally say that Hendrick’s is good enough, but that I prefer pure distillation rather than infusions. Many people complain that Hendricks has a chemically taste to it and I guess I understand. However, I think it’s well established that the product is clean. This variant has orange blossom and cacao beans.

The nose is predictable. Not much complexity and chocolate orange with faint common gin smells.

The taste was surprising however, I was worried this would be too sweet but I was wrong. The bitterness of the cacao and the sweet and tangy citrus blend really well together. Unlike in the smell, the gin taste is very much present an finishes the taste off well. I found this made a lovely G&T, a unique Negroni, and I found it was a nice dessert gin with almond liqueur. I think viewing this gin as a dessert gin is the most appropriate. Of course, I prefer dry and savory gins. But this was still a fun experience.

Overall 4.2/5- one of the better Hendricks!

Hello all! Today I am reviewing the special Roku gin, their minori select! The unique aspects of this gin are the Ume and white peach, as well as others like Gyokuro tea! If you remember my original Roku review, I rated it high but noted that the Yuzu is a bit too sweet for me.

The nose of this gin is crazy. Gentle sweet delicate fruit forward smell followed by floral stone fruit. Juicy tea like body throughout. Not much spice.

Taste is great! The peach and tea are upfront and blend well together. A savory form of yuzu is there that is not as sweet as origins Roku. Not much longevity but strong complexity. It has a spritzy and gentle body. I think the unique botanicals really shine well here. However, I believe it limits the versatility of the gin, which is not necessarily bad.

Overall- 4.4/5 I really love the delicate and gentle nature of this gin.

Hello everyone! In case this is your first time seeing my reviews, I wait until the end of a bottle to review it. I sip mostly neat but also make a variety of cocktails. I work at a distillery and also bartend. Gin is my passion.

Today I am reviewing JCB gin from France. They use upcycled Pinot noir and Chardonnay grapes for the base spirit which really elevates the experience if you’ve ever had grape based gins! 47 plants total with only a few made public (grrrrr…). A hearty price tag of usually 120$ at my local Arlington total wine, but I’ve seen it as low as 60$. I got mine on sale for 80$. Still a big price so the expectations are high.. obviously this lovely bottle will go nice in my collection. But the spirit needs to be good.

The nose is quite amazing. A floral, delicate, spicy, and rich forward bouquet leads the way followed by juniper which is quite faint but accompanied by spices and faint citrus. Really a lot going on here and I like that for this gin.

The taste is pretty stunning. A tea-like, wine-like spice leads the way followed by floral juniper. A warm earthy taste w coriander and bitter sweet honey-like taste follows. Real long longevity with strong complexity; lots of flavor!! Subtle sweetness but not much citrus (though it is there for sure). Every sip is a new experience honestly.

Overall: 4.6/5- would’ve rated higher but honestly, not worth the sometimes triple digit price. If you find it on sale, I recommend it. Sips neat LOVELY!

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Hello everyone! Today I am reviewing the French gin, Normindia! Only 8 public botanicals with 7 kept secret. These secret botanicals certainly restrict me from being able to accurately describe the taste but I will work with what is available!

The smell is very Apple, ginger, and cinnamon forward! The smell reminds me of a fresh farmers market. Earthy and spicy with bitter citrus notes.

The taste reminds me very much of Ameris, a gin I reviewed here before. An earthy musky spice blends with apple sweetness and distant orange. Very much a contemporary gin because juniper is very hidden and hard to detect (though not invisible). Not much longevity but tons of flavor. Not too sweet but notable. It has an earthy spice note that is not my favorite but I can imagine others loving it.

Overall- 3.7/5- a solid gin but there are better options. Can imagine that if you like the apple ginger taste you will go crazy for this gin! No regrets pickin this up!

Boodles is by far my favorite classic London dry! An interesting fact about boodles is that it is one of the few gins with no citrus botanicals! I have reviewed the horrible Snoopdog Indoggo and also Mermaid’ strawberry gin! I am not a fan of super sweet gins but the strawberry style can be… fun I guess…

Smell is nothing special, a slightly tangier strawberry than the other gins with very faint gin botanicals in the far distance!

Taste is, for the strawberry gins, really good. When we review, we must judge a gin on what it is trying to be. The rhubarb and natural flavoring really give this gin some tart that is needed for such a juicy sweet strawberry flavor. Not much gin taste but again, it’s not trying to be gin-ish, it’s trying to be a strawberry alcohol with some underlining botanical flavors.

Overall: 4/5- I have rated gins that I would prefer over this a little lower, but remember, I am grading this gin based on a categorical nature. It would be unfair to compare this to Procera or Monkey 47

Hello everyone, today I am reviewing Highclere’s London dry gin! They have a barrel aged and a peach rose gin that I also hope to acquire. I am a fan of clean London drys, so let’s see what’s going on here.

The nose of this gin is wonderful! A juniper floral blend on the head with a nice sharpness followed by earthy/spiced floral end notes.

The taste is creamy up front with a thick texture. Juniper forward with clear floral sweetness following immediately after. The lime and coriander (common gin plants) have a distinct taste in this gin that I really like. A taste of baked goods is also there, with some heavy sweetness and subtle spice from the Angelica root. Great complexity with lots of clarity! Fair longevity. A bit sweet, but it’s natural and not synthetic tasting!

Overall- 4.4/5, a bit sweet for me, but a savory gin nonetheless. I really enjoyed this bottle and hope you consider picking it up someday.

Hello everyone, if you are like me, you may find that Sam is holding some positions that you not only disagree with, but seem out of Sam's nature for him to hold in the manner he does. I am a long-time fan, as this letter will detail, so I am not approaching this topic unreflectively. If you want to criticize my letter, I only ask that you read it all first. Please share this letter so Sam might see it.

https://substack.com/@jacksezer/note/c-253122938?r=27zkbv&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web

Life has been crazy so I haven’t reviewed anything in a while, but here we are! Today I am reviewing the Argentinian gin, Principe! This gin stuck out to me because it has mate leaves, eucalyptus leaves, peppermint, and only grapefruit for citrus! Sounded interesting!

The smell is god awful, like leathery soil after a thunderstorm! Real rough smell with no other redeeming qualities!

Taste is way better than smell but still quite unsatisfactory. Sweet juniper leads followed by a bitter earthy Smokey taste that reminds me too much of the smell. Not much complexity and not much longevity either. Doesn’t taste synthetic, but not very versatile either. I made it work in a Negroni but GnTs weren’t so lucky. The bitter sweet taste is just not for me, but maybe you!

Overall 2.3/5 stars- pretty rough, but good transparency on the bottle of what’s going on and an interesting flavor profile regardless!