Flavor Profile
With the Olympics ramping up, I thought it would be a good time to take a brief break from the stateside focus and give some press to the still active distillation scene of London. Gilpin’s Gin is a London Dry style gin that is actually pot distilled within the London City limits.
Tasting Notes
The Nose is rather classic in character. Notes of juniper and citrus. Lemon predominates and it clearly states its position as a dry gin right up front. The taste is sharp and piquant with an emphasized drying sensation. It does indeed taste a bit more of its strength on the palette, there is a pronounced alcohol burn, although tightly bound between the initial juniper burst and the dry earthy tail. The gin has a silky, oily character and each of the clearly dilineated botanicals takes a moment in the spotlight. Begins with juniper, before shifting to citrus. That’s where the burn comes in and a faint hint of borage, then it leaves you with a coriander spice and an earthy character indicative or Angelica.
Cocktails
Overall, Gilpin’s Gin has a nicely balanced character which would likely suggest it for any number of cocktails. It works well in Negronis and Aviations, but I might be a little less willing to recommend it outright for the more intense citrus drinks. I don’t think that the unique character or the high points of this gin really shine through. While I would say the gin is a gin-drinker’s gin, with a good dry quality and a rich mouthfeel, I think that does not come across in the Tom Collins where the juniper comes through, but could easily be confused with any easy pour juniper heavy gin. To really appreciate this, I suggest taking it for a ride in a martini. If you like your gins to be dry, you’re going to like this martini. Works well in all cocktails, but at this price point, I don’t think its strong points come through enough to suggest making Tom Collins’ with it. Sure its good, but for a dry gin for extensive mixing, you can get better mileage with a cheaper gin.
Overall
Gilpin’s Gin is an excellent classic styled gin, highly recommended.
International Gin Exchange 2012
Thanks to David over at Summer Fruit Cup for helping make this tasting possible