Flavor Profile
Terroir. n The complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate. The characteristic taste and flavour imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced. [Oxford Dictionary, 2016]
St George’s Terroir Gin is not necessarily about the soil and climate and how it affects the flavor of gin as much as it is a celebration of that which paints an evocative picture of place. Anyone who has traveled the West Coast Pacific Highway in California and marveled at the verdant seas of Redwood and Douglas Firs, has experiences the inspiration which the distillers at St. George Spirits have seemingly captured in this gin.
The signature fir and sage are distilled separately in a smaller still, while the remaining botanicals are distilled via gin basket. Interestingly enough, the St George’s Terroir Gin also features a special spin on coriander in that the team roasts it before distillation. Overall, the result is an impressive gin which genuinely transports anyone who takes a sip.
Tasting Notes
Pine buds, spruce, fir and pine cones greet the nose. It’s immediately evocative. The forest seemingly is literally sitting in your glass. Absolutely brilliant.
The palate is rife with more of the same, but with more specific flavors recognizable. Sage and bay leaves early, the sage meshes with resiny juniper, fir needles and becomes slightly more minty and cool tasting as the taste progresses. It tastes thick and rich, with nearly every manner of conifer combining at once. However, where I think it really shines is towards the finish where the sage retreats a bit and you get coriander and delicate spice. There’s a slight hint of lemon and citrus as well.
The finish is cool and moderately long, with minty cool sage. Very smooth and extremely easy to drink on its own.
Cocktails
St George’s Terroir Gin can add a festive touch to some more traditional cocktails. Consider using it in a Negroni or Martini for the holiday season. While it tastes like summer road trips to me, I know others find this a bit Christmassy.
The Gin and Tonic is very heavy on the pine notes and may be a bit too piney for some; I think it tastes even better with a hearty squeeze of lime. Hence I really like this in a traditional Gin Fizz as well.
The one place where I found St George’s Terroir Gin to be a little lacking to me were in the dessert cocktails. The pine cream note might be a little “too unusual,” so I generally stay clear of the Ramos Gin Fizz or the Gin Alexander.
But overall, I really like drinking this gin neat. Straight from the bottle and breathing deep in the sweet sweet aromas of fir and juniper.
Overall
St George’s Terroir Gin is one remarkable gin. Few things amplify juniper as Douglas Fir can. Beautiful, distinctive, evocative, memorable. Fans of classic style gins will find plenty to love, even as the abundance of additional botanicals push it almost to the realm of contemporary style gin. I highly recommend this gin to all drinkers, as it’s an absolutely beautiful spirit and one of my favorites. Highly recommended.
Awards
This isn’t gin; it’s a garland tasting of eucalyptus and bay leaf. Unless you’re a koala, skip it.
Love this gin. Not my favorite for martinis, but it’s my go-to for a G&T. Lime any time of the year, cucumber and rosemary in the summer when it’s roasting here in California.
You have to be really careful how to drink this. With tonic or a combination of liquors or even citrus there can be just way too much going on. The spruce-pinecone action just doesn’t seem to blend as naturally or have as many natural chemical elements as juniper does, or doesn’t taste that way anyway. So proceed carefully with respect for this really original spirit, in a martini with a straight-laced vermouth, or on the rocks. It can also kill in combination with absinthe, though I actually blown away by the pairing with the absinthe from st. george which generally speaking is fantastic.
The most unique gin on the planet.. it is literally a pine forest in your mouth.. definitely a sipper for sure, no cocktails for this one.. it will get weird due to it’s intense pine needle flavor. This gin is one to have on the shelf to surprise the hell out of your gin loving buddies.. it always get’s top honors from my friends, and rave reviews all around.. Outstanding work..
Yuk! Intense sage flavor that tastes like something in soap or potpourri. I might pour the rest of it down the drain. On the positive side, there seems to be alcohol in there.
In a 3:1 martini I found this gin to be an ambitious, even downright aggressive, effort. I want to admire it and, having spent a few years in the “terroir,” would like to like it better. Too interesting not to try in other combinations; but I had to shake off an initial worry that the distiller was oblivious to the hint of turpentine.
Couldn’t agree more strongly about what a wonderful and unique gin is the St George’s Terroir. I live in Canada where the government tells us what to drink (i.e. where it’s real hard to find good new products and when you do it’s real expensive), and so was very lucky that my girlfriend brought back a nice big bottle of this from a recent trip to the states, along with samplers of St George’s Botanivore (a close 2nd IMHO) and Rye (…well, it’s sure different..). Love the refreshing, herbaceous flavours of this and honestly can’t imagine I’ll find a “Different” style gin that I enjoy more. Great review, love the site! 🙂
I love this gin, but because of it’s unique and strong herbals, I was afraid to mix it into a cocktail for the longest time. Just sipping it alone as an aperitif or evening cocktail is amazing. After reading some of the recipes on the St. George’s website, I got inspired and tried some things. It can fantastically balance with a fruity liquor and some lemon. One of my favs combines Terroir, Cointreau, an apple/cranberry sparking cider (e.g. Maritinell’s), and a bit of fresh lemon juice.