Flavor Profile
The bottle— I mean can— will catch your eye. There’s nothing like it on the shelf, at least externally. Engine Gin is distilled at Italy’s Torino Distillati. They are perhaps best known in the gin world for being the place the Malfy Gins are distilled.
Engine Gin features licorice, sage, rose and lemon, is vacuum distilled from a base of wheat and is canned at 42% ABV.
Tasting notes
Aroma: Crisp sage, citron rind, and terpey juniper. Sage and citrus evoke hints of green apple and lavender leaves.
Flavor: Heavy sage leads an angular and heady camphorous palate. Somewhat bitter throughout, the heaviness conjures the flavor of singed, oily rosemary leaves. Creamy licorice root comes through late, as does a hint of lemon.
Finish: Pronounced heat from mid-palate through finish. Sage, camphor, and lemon pith.
Cocktails
Engine Gin is perhaps most at home mixed. some of the heady, almost overwhelming heat and sage notes are restrained and more balanced. I particularly think it works well in a somewhat herbal Negroni though it will be at home in a Last Word or 1:1 Martini.
I find that some of its more difficult qualities are emphasized in cocktails like the gin and tonic and the gin and soda. Both emphasize Engine Gin’s inherent bitterness.
Overall, Engine Gin
While a fun and novel concept from a packaging standpoint, the gin is likely to be a touch divisive from a flavor perspective. Firstly, Engine Gin is a better example of a more Italian Gin profile. It is a bit misaligned with American gin flavor palates, in terms of the bitter, overwhelming herbal flavors. It is a challenging mixer that requires attention to its flavor profile and expectation management with consumers acclimated to other gins.
Engine Gin feels and tastes unbalanced. However, it works well in the right applications– if you’re willing to give it some time and space to shine, it can. However, someone looking for a gin suitable for every engine may find
I was in the offy the other day getting my beer as I’m a lager lout. This black guy rolls in and see the can (I never noticed it) on the table and says ” Are they selling turpentine?” I rolled out chuckling under my breath.
I found it to almost be a martini right out of the can. Seemed like a sweet vermouth was already in the mix.
I like the odd look of it , it’s fun & would make people laugh ! But how is it with gin and it’s reaction to the canning metals , don’t they spoil the taste of its in there too long ?!
We loved Engine Gin until we had a problem towards the end of the can. While pouring close to the end of the can into a glass it came out rusty looking. We cut away the tin and between the tin and the plastic it was all rusty! I wonder how much rust we drank before noticing it! Not good!!