Flavor Profile
Why does rain smell so good? It’s because of petrichor and that is the flavor that Fresh Rain Gin looks to capture in its liquid inside.
Petrichor (/ˈpɛtrɪkɔːr/) is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The word is constructed from Greek petra (πέτρα), meaning “stone”, and īchōr (ἰχώρ), the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology. [source]
That Boutique-y Gin Company pulls out a couple stops to impart a gin with this magical, elusive scent. Clay is among the “botanicals” distilled in Fresh Rain Gin. Furthermore they add some leaf extract for a touch of green.
Tasting Notes
I found that when Fresh Rain Gin was first poured from the bottle, it had this window-cleaner and aqua cologne aroma that seemed more an attempt to capture that “fresh linen” scent which is ubiquitous in household cleaners and laundry detergents.
But if you let it sit. And I’ve found this a bit true with some of the other gins I’ve had from That Boutique-y Gin Company as of late, the liquid reveals a bit more of its intricacies.
It becomes leafier and much greener. If you’ve ever torn into a wet maple leaf after an autumn rain… that’s the aroma here. Underneath it there’s some hints of juniper, a lot of musky angelica root, linen scent and a little bit of ethanol. I find that the juniper expression here is far more Angelica than simply juniper. In fact, it straight up reminds me of the Angelica in Lockhouse’s Angelica Gin.
To the palate though, there’s some unusual flavors. Perhaps in part because we’re tasting something that doesn’t exist as “taste” in the world. This is a scent encapsulated.
Juniper and angelica early. Lots of green leafy flavors come on mid-palate. There’s a salad-like freshness of romaine lettuce, the flavor of borage, sorel, water mint and sugar snap peas here. Green pea notes fade into the finish which has some earthy, forest-floor like notes. The soil notes are loamy and somewhat musty.
Overall, Fresh Rain Gin
Flavor-wise, Fresh Rain Gin tastes more like a garden, meticulously appointed with willows and red maple trees. While it does not call to mind petrichor to me at all, it is successful at painting a vivid picture.
My critique of Fresh Rain gin is similar to some of the others in the limited edition perfume line: the nose takes a long time to bloom, and secondly the nontraditional bouquet makes it a challenging mixer.