the Gin is IN

Gin from an American perspective, since 2009.
Tags: Juniper

Karner Blue Gin

May
14
Posted in Bottles of Gin 3
Juniper Spice Heat Citrus Floral
Gin Flavor Profile

Lots of floral on the nose, but exceptional balance on the palette. Juniper and Cubab berries add peppery notes and help it stand out.

 Karner Blue Gin is the flagship gin of New Hampshire’s only in-state distillery at Flag Hill Winery in Lee, only a relatively short drive from the oft traveled I-95 as it hugs along the coast of the state. Flag Hill Winery was founded in 1990 and has been distilling spirits using local ingredients since 2004. Probably best known for their General John Stark vodka, they launched Karner Blue gin in Fall 2011. I had heard good things, so during my brief sojourn up to Maine last month, I made a point of stopping at the state liquor store just off I-95 [...]

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Schlichte Gin

Jan
22
Posted in Bottles of Gin 0
Juniper Spice Heat Citrus Floral
Gin Flavor Profile

Very strong juniper flavor with relatively minimal heat. Very simple flavor profile. It's juniper and all juniper.

Some gins are the perfect examples of their style. Plymouth is the classic example of Plymouth style gin and Schlichte is the classic example of the Steinhäger style. If you’re curious about the style’s baseline, we covered that a short while ago. This review is just about Schlichte. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful earthenware bottle. It stands out among the other glass bottles in any gin section where it appears. It seems distinctly “old world” and “throwback” just as itself. I opened, and the first thing I noticed was nearly nothing. No powerful aromas, just a subtle hint of [...]

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Seagram’s Extra Dry

Jan
18
Posted in Bottles of Gin 1
Juniper Spice Heat Citrus Floral
Gin Flavor Profile

A toasty juniper gin with a powerful sweetness and smoothness; some of which comes from the classic London Dry botanicals, and some which comes from 3 months in an oak barrel.

Seagram’s Gin is the best selling gin in America; therefore it warrants a closer look. I know that immediately it embodies one American virtue: thrift. This may be the only gin I review that I can tell you with confidence, “yes, they do sell it at Walmart.” In fact, this gin could be the next entry in my “It came from the Bottom Shelf” series. But although widely available we’re interested if the taste lives up to the hype. Does it warrant being the best selling gin in America. But first, an Experiment! At a recent party I held a [...]

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Oxley Gin

Oct
31
Posted in Bottles of Gin Comments Off
Juniper Spice Heat Citrus Floral
Gin Flavor Profile

Lots of lemon and juniper notes up front and plenty of heat on the palate and the nose.

Oxley gin holds a special place in this blog already. It was the gin we chose to take on vacation with us, which means that from the outset it met a very specific set of criteria. Firstly, we wanted something that was classically styled, and capable of “tasting like gin” in any cocktail it was put in. Second, it had to be versatile and capable of doing many things well.Finally,we wanted a gin that was capable of keeping gin devotees interested. Oxley accomplished all of these things and was a good companion on this trip. We put it to work [...]

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Spring 44 Gin

Sep
19
Posted in Bottles of Gin 4
Juniper Spice Heat Citrus Floral
Gin Flavor Profile

A harmony of the floral and the juniper with intimations of the classic London Dry spice profile.

Spring 44 Gin is very on point with some of the more recent trends in gin and liquor overall. It uses several locally sourced botanicals  and Rocky Mountain Spring water that bring to mind Cottage Grove Distillery’s location at 9,000 feet elevation in Roosevelt National forest. Sure, the vision I get in my mind is idyllic. A road that can only be accessed by four wheel drive; seeing the milky way from the backyard, the entirely-off-the-grid production process using solar panels (see the Spring 44story from their website for more). But how does the gin actually hold up? Firstly, the [...]

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Tub Gin

Jul
25
Posted in Bottles of Gin 0
Juniper Spice Heat Citrus Floral
Gin Flavor Profile

A powerful London Dry style punch with a nice balanced base.

“We kindly invite you to shut your questioning trap, and enjoy,” says the movie one sees if they click on the ingredients link on the Tub Gin website. Well, if you’re going to be so confrontational about it, I might as well just up and review it and tell you what I think of the gin that you say is made from “fresh Colorado juniper berries and a few other things we found lying around the place.” But first, let me tell you the story of how I found Tub Gin. Of all places, in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania state run [...]

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Berkshire Mountain’s Ethereal Gin Batch No. 4

Jul
16
Posted in Bottles of Gin 2
Juniper Spice Heat Citrus Floral
Gin Flavor Profile

A peppery juniper punch with a mellow anise aftertaste.

Berkshire Mountain Distillers are best known for its mainline of gin known as Greylock Gin. And although I went to Astor Place Wine and Spirits looking specifically for Greylock, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the green label and a name like “Ethereal Gin.” The Ethereal Gins are small-batch, handcrafted, and limited edition. Other versions exist such as #3 in a yellow bottle, #2, in the pink bottle, and #1 in a green one.  Each one is a limited batch and when it’s gone, it’s gone. Fortunately, it seems every year they Berkshire Mountain releases a new one, and if [...]

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Breucklen Gin

Nov
12
Posted in Bottles of Gin 2
Juniper Spice Heat Citrus Floral
Gin Flavor Profile

A relatively smooth citrus forward gin that have a more floral nose than the taste may suggest. Nice balance, although a bit sweeter than most.

I have been excited to try this gin since the day I read that two gin distilleries were opening in Brooklyn, NY.  The New Yorker in me was thrilled that a craft, seemingly regulated out of existence in urban areas, was coming back to the city I lived in.The gates opened this past spring, and a short couple of weeks ago I finally picked up a bottle. The first thing I noticed was the lovely bottle complete with a classy wax-sealed top. Anxious to try, I  grabbed a knife, slit the wax and poured myself a gin and tonic. The [...]

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Tanqueray

Oct
24
Posted in Bottles of Gin 2
Juniper Spice Heat Citrus Floral
Gin Flavor Profile

A gin with a very hot juniper foundation that dominates on the nose and the palate.

Let’s be honest. You’ve probably heard of this gin before. If you’ve ever had gin before you’ve probably had this gin before. If you’ve been to a bar, you’ve seen this gin before. The tell-tale green bottle is usually what I scan a bar shelf for to find their gin selection. (This and the shimmering blue of Bombay Sapphire are among the most distinctive bottles at a bar). Among all gins, Tanqueray I think is the one with the most wide-scale advertising campaign- but despite its commonness, it somehow slides below the radar of most liquor review sites. Tanqueray first [...]

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The “Air Freshener” shot

Oct
01
Posted in Cocktails 0

Earlier this month I wrote about my first gin cocktail. I confess, I did stretch the truth a bit. I did have one gin experience before my gin and tonic. But it is one that I would altogether rather forget. Please let me introduce you to the “air freshener” shot. This shot requires the piniest, most prickly gin you can find. If you use a good gin, or one that emphasizes a botanical other than juniper, you won’t experience the air freshener in all of its glory. I’ve used Beefeater before, but please don’t feel you have to use a [...]

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