Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers have recently entered the American market with their line of canned cocktails. Their Black Cherry and Cranberry begins with their Dillon’s Gin— distilled from a base of Ontario Rye using vapor distillation.
Beyond that they add black cherry, cranberry and soda— it says right on the can “not too sweet.” According to their website, the sugar content is 17.75 grams for the 12 oz. can we’re reviewing.
Tasting notes
Color: Perfectly clear
Aroma: Sweet red cherries, with a touch of raspberry jam and cranberry. There’s a subtle sweetness implied in the aroma, but some might find it a touch medicinal.
Flavor: Soft red cherries, with a sweetness and flavor suggestive of cherry and apple pie. A hint of sweet baking spice and bold lemon and citrus in the mid palate. Later notes of marzipan and almond begin to build.
I would say it has a moderate sweetness— in terms of grams of sugar it ranks as having more than Fever Tree Light and less than Fever Tree Indian Tonic. This restrained sweetness makes Dillon’s Black Cherry and Cranberry quite easy to drink. However, it’s not just a gin and soda, the sweetness is there.
Finish: long finish with lots of cherry pie and subtle amaretto liqueur. This is also where that slightest hint of cranberry is most present, fading distantly on the finish.
Overall, Dillon’s Black Cherry and Cranberry
There might be two critiques someone who doesn’t like this drink will have. Firstly, the juniper is a bit light. At 5% ABV, the gin is a bit light in here. Secondly, some people’s cultural experience might associate certain cherry flavors with medicine.
I’d love a bit more juniper personally, but I think they did a good job with the cherry flavor in here. It’s bold and present, with the hints of citrus, almond, and cranberry on the finish offering enough complexity to pull Dillon’s Black Cherry and Cranberry back from the edge.
This is a fun gin and soda with a balanced sweetness that I think will appeal to a wide spectrum of people, including those who might not be traditionally big gin drinkers.