Devil’s Bathtub Gin

Flavor Profile

Honeoye Falls Distillery starts their self described “New Western Style Gin” from locally grown rye, which forms the foundation for their vodka and moonshine as well,  builds from their with a spice driven botanical blend in search of a “mischievously complex” gin.

Honeyoye Falls is a small village in upstate New York, located a short drive south of Rochester, NY. The distillery was founded in 2013 and their products can be found in upstate New York primarily.

Tasting Notes

The nose is floral, with a decidedly contemporary bent. Lavender-like hints with honey dipped spice cake; hints of clove and a bit of alcohol; the profile feels darker than other floral and spice gins, but is still within that family. Perhaps it’s a touch of the base spirit coming through?

The palate is vividly spice-forward, with some floral notes a bit later towards the mid-palate and finish. At first, peppery, piquant piperine warmth, another lavender type note, cinnamon and nutmeg coming through, with a slight hint of juniper in the background, and then some hints of powdered clove. The finish is colored with tones of green peppercorn, and green herbal branches. The finish is medium-to-long in length. The loud part recedes quickly, an enduring faint peppery ghost hovers for quite some time on the edges of the palate.

Overall, Devil’s Bathtub Gin is a vividly spiced gin that definitely lets the juniper play a background note. Some of the palate; however, to me seems disjointed and competing with one another for attention. Secondly, although perhaps there’s hints of it on the nose, the Rye base spirit doesn’t seem to add much character. As far as Rye gins go, it’s a very subdued parlay, adding some dark color, but not wearing the Rye on its sleeve.

Cocktails

It’s an interesting gin that seems well built for a Gin and Tonic, though its flavors seemed a bit discordant with citrus, for example the Tom Collins and the Aviation felt a little off. Opt for a good spice forward cocktail, or perhaps even a Negroni to see the flavor profile of Devil’s Bathtub Gin shine.

Gin aficionados who like contemporary gins will likely appreciate this particular spice-forward take; while those looking for a bit more juniper might best be advised look elsewhere. I think it works well as a limited mixing gin, and if you’re judicious about where you mix, you’ll get the most out of this gin.