Tofino Distillery’s Old Growth Cedar Gin starts as their West Coast Gin. Old Growth Cedar Gin adds a single botanical Thuja plicata, or the Western Redcedar to the gin.
The Western Redcedar is native to narrow regions of the American Pacific Northwest. It’s bark had an important use in indigenous traditions, especially for building. Further its tips are said to have a citrusy almost tropical aroma, reminiscent of pineapple.
The pine puds are added to the gin basket and distilled along with the other botanicals.
Tasting notes
Aroma: bright and full of delightful conifer notes. Pine, fir, and a hint of biscotti. Delicate nuttiness underneath, but this has fir and juniper in spades
Flavor: Warming at first, with some nuttiness and hints of biscotti and holiday cookie leading into the mid-palate which is bold and pine-forward. The pine blossom notes accentuate the light citrusy side of fresh cut pine blossoms, with hints of lemon verbena and a touch of lime.
Later, spices begin to emerge again from the piney-haze. Peppercorns, rosemary, aniseed and a touch of dill seed.
Finish: Moderately warm, with a long, almost cooling pine enhanced glow. Some of those nutty hints of biscotti and biscuit hang in the background.
💜 Although pine blossoms are a sign of spring, Old Growth Cedar Gin feels to me like having a holiday cookie as you put up a freshly cut Christmas tree in your home.
Cocktails and suggested serves
I’d simply love this with a nice soda— maybe dialed up with only a hint of fresh lime. The gin has such a beautiful flavor.
Secondly, this gin has a lot of things I love in a Martini. Great aroma, long unfolding palate. Garnish with a twist.
Behind the bar, I would treat this gin like a specialty gin. It has a bold flavor profile that will shine through in a wide range of cocktails. While this can be great and pine-forward in a Negroni, amplifying that juniper impression, it may not work as well in some drinks like The Aviation.
Overall, Tofino Old Growth Cedar Gin
A beautiful pine-forward celebration of pine blossoms that is complex, comforting and versatile. I thought this gin was a lot of fun, and I’d love to have it in my home bar (well more than just a small sample).
Fans of classic style gins will like the lovely amount of pine; however, be aware that it does read more as pine blossom than it does juniper. So despite the score of “3” in juniper, this gin might emphasize the contemporary side of that core flavor profile.
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