Flavor Profile
Edinburgh Lemon and Jasmine Gin was a 2019 product line expansion of the Ian Macleod Distillers’ Edinburgh Gin brand. Previously seeing success with other flavored varietals, they capitalized on the growing market preference for citrus and floral forward gins.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Citrus and floral dominates the nose. Dusty jasmine with hints of honeysuckle and gardenia sit atop a strong tart, almost bitter citrus note. While there are lemon facets, I’m also getting hints of Seville Orange and white grapefruit.
Flavor: Oily, lemon peel dominates early. Mid-palate, classically pine-forward juniper is accented by hints of sweet orange, angelica root and green lavender. On the back of the palate, lemon continues to be the dominant flavor, with breathy, musky hints of jasmine flower.
Finish: Fairly long finish but at a quiet volume. Lemon and orange citrus slowly ebb into crisp notes of pine bud.
Cocktails
Edinburgh Lemon and Jasmine Gin is designed for cocktail craft. Bartenders looking to capture the flavor will be pleased they bottled at 40% ABV. It makes for a musky, heady, and floral Martini. The Vermouth only amplifies some of those floral touches. In a Gin and Tonic, the nose is muted, but the citrus really shines with lemon oil adding a distinctly citrus-forward gin flavor profile.
While the combination of floral and citrus invites a lot of contemporary cocktail craft, the gin overall is a bit— inflexible. The jasmine and lemon feel at odds in a Negroni. The citrus at times reads as a bit more bitter/oily, rather than sweet. Therefore even in a Tom Collins, Edinburgh Lemon and Jasmine Gin tastes a bit dark, adding bitter, almost vegetal lemon notes.
Overall, Edinburgh Lemon and Jasmine Gin
The flavor additions are inspired and squarely on trend. However, the overall execution is a bit underwhelming. It is tough to mix with because the Jasmine, in particular, reads as a bit musky in drinks. The lemon reads a bit bitter.
While it deserves points for being true to its name and marketing, the overall comes up a bit short— especially when compared to the bevy of citrus-forward and floral-forward gins that a drinker will see on the shelf at this stage of the Gin Renaissance.