Flavor Profile
Distilled with 26 botanicals, Distiller’s Garden Gin celebrates the tradition of the “four square garden.” These small courtyard gardens were widely grown across Europe during the Renaissance— in particular England and Germany. Especially in German tradition, these gardens were tended by the women of the house. Also of note, during this era women would also have been the distillers of the household— though their work was largely medicinal in nature.
These enclosed gardens often contained vegetables and other herbs that a family might need throughout the summer. Wealthier gardens would also have fruit trees.
Distilled from a base of grain at Missouri’s Hermann Farm Distillery, this gin celebrates the four square garden and the region’s cultural and agricultural heritage.
Tasting notes
Aroma: Complex with herbal notes and hints of berries. A touch of raspberry, raspberry leaf, blueberry, lemon thyme, savory and some terpey juniper.
Flavor: Bold and intensely flavored— distiller’s garden bursts with herbal and floral notes. Clover throughout, lending a touch of creaminess and vanilla and woodruff. Sweet spice comes through later with some dry coriander, and some bold herbal hints of rosemary and thyme.
Piney, dark, waxy juniper especially through the last half of the palate.
Finish: The botanicals lend Distiller’s Garden Gin a subtle impression of sweetness. Lingering resinous juniper, rosemary and some less distinct green facets.
Cocktails and suggested serves
With a complex botanical bill, Distiller’s Garden Gin is a challenging mixing gin. Try it in a gin and tonic or gin and soda to accentuate its herbal side. I find mixed in a Negroni you get a little bit more of the juniper, spice and rosemary notes.
Overall, Distiller’s Garden Gin
As a celebration of what can be grown locally in a small garden, Distiller’s Garden Gin is a fun vision for how locally grown botanicals can direct a gin. It might be correct that the full 26 botanicals is a tad too much— the gin lacks a clear perspective. However, the overall impression is green, floral, and herbal. It is less about a single ingredient— even juniper— and more about the sum of the whole.
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