Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin

Flavor Profile

Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin features two types of orange. First is sweet orange. The second is the signature botanical— the Sicilian Blood Orange.

The story begins when Frederick Neill worked on creating a vodka that reminded him of his honeymoon in Sicily. I’m glad that he decided to style it as a gin instead.

The gin begins as the flagship Whitley Neill Gin, distilled on a century old copper pot still, and then has blood orange extract added.

Tasting Notes

TL;DR: Orange and more orange on the nose. Palate goes from orange to juniper to earthy, round classic gin. 

Beautiful and bright, Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin leads with sweet orange. Notes of fresh sweet orange zest, mineola and a hint of bitter orange round it. It’s big and citrus-forward.

The palate is also bright. When Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin they seriously mean this a Blood Orange Gin.

But while it’s at the fore, there’s more: sweet tart orange early segues into biter orange. There’s a tartness to it which suggests the addition of actual juice or citric acid. It’s quite pleasant though and only serves to underscore the literal emphasis on the flavor.

Round gin notes come out on the middle-to-back. Juniper is equally sharp and punchy. There’s a mild earthy licorice root and autumn forest note. Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin finished warm with punchy juniper echoing in the dull recesses of your palate.

Cocktails

Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin is ready made for pairing with classic, quinine-heavy tonic waters. The Gin and Tonic is the #1 drink IMHO with this. The fresh citrus makes it remarkably accessible, especially to people who are just getting into gin.

People who want to be play up it’s more traditional gin like character will like it straight from the freezer and mixed with a modicum of dry Vermouth. A 12:1 Martini is a bit Churchillian for some, but I found it to be delicious.

In other cocktail applications, it mixed as if a flavored vodka— with too many other ingredients all that remains is the orange.

Overall, Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin

Using citrus to make a flavored gin is far from easy. Some have made solid distilled gins, while others have not been as successful with their post-distillation infusions.

Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin hits it out of the park. The audience is the flavored-vodka crowd, for sure. But hardcore gin drinkers will appreciate how they pull it off without forgetting the juniper.

Overall, Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin is one of the best examples of its type. It’s a delicious and easy drinker that adds a touch of summer— or Sicily— to any occasion.

Recommended in its category. 

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