Steelbound Brewery and Distillery opened in 2016 in the heart of Western New York’s ski country. Ellicottville is known for being home to the area’s two biggest ski resorts. But in recent times, the small village has also become a hot bed for craft brewing— Steelbound included.
Tasting notes
Aroma: Bold, punchy green juniper— you immediately get why this gin is called “juniper bomb.” Around that, there’s some warm and slightly hot hints of cornbread and masa. There’s some ethanol on the nose, that brings hints of grain.
Flavor: The juniper here is quite nice. First, it comes on with its green side. Like freshly cracked spruce needles with teprey, pulverized juniper cones. It begins with conifer, but quickly evolves showing some of juniper’s other facets. Dark green, with hints of summer meadow, coriander and warm spice.
While the juniper is nice, we need to comment on the base spirit here. It shows its character. Occasionally tasting a bit like a corn vodka with character, there’s notes of masa dough and a fair amount of warmth.
Finish: Largely warming, with some moonshine notes. The juniper trails off to a whisper and leaves the base spirit alone at the end.
Cocktails and suggested serves
The warmth is best masked in mixed drinks. The good news for fans of juniper is that the juniper will shine through in any mixture. I tried this gin in a gin and tonic with Q tonic and liked it— add a squeeze of lime for sure for added brightness. Further, Juniper Bomb Gin will shine brightly with bold juniper character in a gin and lemonade or gin and cola.
Overall, Juniper Bomb Gin
If you’re a fan of classic style gins— or think that the biggest problem with gin is that “there’s not enough juniper!” This gin is for you. It’s a bold punchy juniper explosion that showcases some of the signature botanical’s greatest qualities.
However, if you’re looking for a Martini gin or something in a bold gin-forward cocktail application, you might find yourself working around the bold grain spirit— that almost brings some moonshine/white dog qualities to your drinks.