Flavor Profile
Hailing from New Hampshire, Djinn Gin is made using the gin basket method of adding botanicals wherein botanicals are suspended above the base spirit and the notes are added through vapors passing through. The distillery opened in 2013 beginning with distilling gin. Since then they’ve expanded into whiskey and spice honey liqueur known as Krupnik.
Tasting Notes
The nose hits you with a blend of flowers and grain. Notes of corn white whiskey along with some slightly sweet floral overtones. I get hints of raspberry, magnolia and pine bud. Sweet hay and a hint of barley spirit lay even lower. It’s a round nose that has some suggestions of genever.
The palate is vividly spiced with a lot of bold herbaceous flavors. I’m getting some elderflower early, with a slight jammy, almost raspberry jam note. Fennel bulb and aniseed mid-palate, with pepper notes and a more piney, traditional juniper note coming out towards the finish. While the finish is primarily peppery, there’s notes of white peppercorn, berry jam and hibiscus tea, which seem to evolve into cinnamon and apple pie on the back of the palate.
It’s an intriguing blend of a slightly grain forward spirit and powerful floral aromatics adding the botanical perspective. Djinn Gin is subtly unusual, but interesting and well done. Provided you enjoy some residual character in your base spirit and contemporary floral forward gins.
Cocktails
Djinn Gin makes an interesting Martini, wherein you still get the aforementioned notes, that seem amplified in the presence of further herbaceousness from the Vermouth. It’s kind of garden-forward with a hint of moonshine. I found it to not work as well in the Gin and Tonic or Gin and Soda, vastly preferring it in conjunction with other spirits. Try it with Creme de Violette in either a Moonlight Cocktail or an Aviation. But I think the cocktails where it really sang were when it was paired with intensely herbaceous spirits like Absinthe. Try Djinn Gin in your next Corpse Reviver #2 for an intriguing New Hampshire take on the classic cocktail.
Overall
Djinn Gin rests on an unusual flavor. It’s warm and malty while also being light and flowery. This contrast makes it an intriguing and somewhat intellectual tipple, but also limits its applications behind the bar. It’s challenging to mix with and tends to defy expectations in cocktails.
However, if you’re looking for an interesting New England take on gin, Djinn Gin does enough things well to win over some gin drinkers; however, I think it remains too niche. If you’re not a fan of some of the more Holland-style American gins nor a fan of the floral contemporary style, you’ll probably be looking for more neutrality and more juniper.
Djinn Gin is challenging, but interesting. I’ll suggest drinking it neat if you do purchase a bottle. Fans of floral contemporary gins may enjoy this gin as it gives a different take on the style while using many of the same floral botanicals other distillers have been playing with.
Thanks to….
Special thanks to John at Foodie Pilgrim. Since 2012, John has shared and sourced gins from New England and nearby 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 when you have a chance.