50 Fathoms Gin

Flavor Profile

50 Fathoms Gin is distilled from a base of barley and includes local spruce tips and California tangerines among its botanical bill.  Biologist-turned-head-distiller Heather Shade and Carpenter-turned-distillery-founder Sean Copeland founded Port Chilkoot Distillery  in 2012. Since then they’ve made spirits in the tradition of the Alaskan sense of doing things from scratch.

Tasting Notes

Terpey resinous spruce and heavy pine hit first on the nose. It’s somewhat earthy and dark on the aroma.

The palate of 50 Fathoms Gin is soft at first. A slight bit of heat emerges as the botanicals unfold. Pine and juniper are early and prominent. Their volume decreases on the mid-palate.

That’s where an intense note of tangerine comes in. It has facets of mandarin orange peel and a slight moderating hint of Seville Orange. The citrus is clearly tangerine but multifaceted.

The citrus then disappears for the finish. Resinous juniper oil and heavy spruce sit on the palate, for a short-to-medium length finish.

Cocktails

The intense and bright citrus note works well in a simple mixed drinks. 50 Fathoms Gin is great in a Gin and Tonic and Gin and Soda. Further, the heavy pine (plus complementary citrus) means it works really well in citrus cocktails and mixed drinks.

Try 50 Fathoms Gin in a Leap Year Cocktail, Homemade Finnish Long Drink, Tom Collins or Gin and Lemonade. 

Overall, 50 Fathoms Gin

The fresh citrus notes on the palate are exceptional. And even more so when paired with bold, punchy juniper.

If you’re a fan of citrus-forward gins like Malfy con Limone or New Amsterdam and are looking to upgrade to something with more juniper— 50 Fathoms Gin should be high on your list.

Recommended in its category. 

 

Photo from the Complete Gentleman’s review of 50 Fathoms Gin.

Made possible through the Alaskan New England Gin Exchange

Special thanks to John at Foodie Pilgrim. Since 2012, John has shared and sourced gins from New England and sometimes even Alaska— that we at The Gin is In haven’t tried yet. This gin sample was shared by John, who is also a big fan of gin. So check out his New England Gin Reviews as well.

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