Tastes

Nose - grapefruit and lime zest, ginger, juniper, coriander, green apple, rose, sweet floral notes, mint, white pepper, anise, clove, powdered sugar, mild ethanol bite. Taste - mint, ginger, lemon and lime zest, juniper, coriander, white pepper, floral notes, anise, powdered sugar, allspice, clove, apple, grapefruit, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast with citrus, mint, and juniper flavors. The mint, ginger, and citrus are strong in this one. It’s nice, but nothing spectacular. I don’t like this nose and palate quite as much as Tann’s, but the finish is much less bitter in a good way. It’s $5 more than Tann’s, so I don’t think I’d ever buy a bottle, but certainly there are worse gins to sip.

Nose - juniper, coriander, licorice, lemon zest, tangerine, grapefruit, powdered sugar, black pepper, pine, sassafras, rose, lavender, allspice, mint, mild ethanol burn. Taste - rose, sassafras, mint, juniper, coriander, juniper, cinnamon, lemon and grapefruit zest, orange pith, black pepper, powdered sugar, licorice, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mint, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast with baking spice, juniper, and bitter citrus flavors. For a budget priced gin, I think this is pretty solid. It’s categorized as a London Dry, but definitely doesn’t taste traditional. The juniper is present, but hiding behind strong baking spice, licorice, and sassafras, root beer notes. The finish is the weakest aspect of the experience, ending short, herbal, and bitter. It’s priced the same as Beefeater, and I like it a bit better.

Nose - juniper, coriander, lemon zest, mint, tart apple, anise, dry honey, black pepper, herbal and floral notes, whiff of smoke, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - juniper, pine, honey, coriander, lemon zest, sweet grapefruit, black pepper, herbal and floral notes, anise, powdered sugar, apple, spruce, lavender, spearmint, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with juniper, lemon zest, and herbal flavors. This tastes more like a full flavored traditional gin than a modern one. It’s a bit juniper forward for my tastes, but I appreciate how distinctive and strong the aromas and flavors are here. I’m absolutely missing a lot of the nuance, but enjoy the balance of sweet, herbal, floral, and spicy notes. This is definitely better than Beefeater and Tanqueray, but not quite as good as Drumshanbo to my palate. I’ll align the rating here with Monkey 47, but I don’t think it quite matches the Monkey’s depth and complexity.

Nose - juniper, lemon and orange zest, rose, vanilla icing, floral notes, lavender, mild ethanol burn. Taste - juniper, lemon zest, rose, sweet floral notes, cucumber, black pepper, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast with juniper, bitter citrus, and pepper flavors. This is very average. It tastes like a classic London Dry Gin, but the flavors are muddled and generally difficult to discern. I like this a bit better than the GW Goodwynn and Bombay Sapphire, but not as much as Beefeater and Tanqueray, so I’ll give it an average rating.

Nose - rose, juniper, coriander, floral tea, white pepper, almond, lemon and orange zest, mint, fresh cut grass, mild ethanol burn. Taste - rose, floral tea, spearmint, juniper, white pepper, coriander, bitter lemon pith, cucumber, cinnamon, almond, ginger, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with light juniper, rose, and bitter citrus flavors. This is less juniper forward and a bit sweeter than a traditional gin, but it isn’t one of the better modern gins I’ve tried. I think it’s about on par with Tanqueray and Beefeater for me. It’s also $10+ more than those and the same price as Drumshanbo, which makes Hendrick’s a poor value in my eyes. Better than average, but nothing special.

Nose - juniper, lemon and orange zest, floral notes, white pepper, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - juniper, lemon and grapefruit zest, light herbal and floral notes, white or black pepper, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing very fast with sour juniper and bitter citrus flavors. The notes are short because there’s really not much going on here. The nose and palate are extremely faint, almost nonexistent. I’m only getting juniper, a bit of citrus, and a little spice. The finish is the worst part: short, sour, and bitter. It’s not as actively offensive as the Seagram’s, so I’ll score it a bit higher than that one, but it’s definitely below average, bordering on poor.

Nose - peach, rose, effervescent raspberry, vanilla cream, jasmine, juniper, sweet floral notes, perfume, apple skin, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - rose, peach and cream, raspberry, vanilla, caramel, cherry, juniper, sweet floral tea, apple skin tannin, ginger, white pepper, licorice, mild alcohol bite, finishing medium long with rose, peach, raspberry, and juniper flavors. The nose on this one really surprised me. The peach, raspberry, and rose notes leap out of the glass and are easily discerned from the rest of the bouquet. I like it, especially since the juniper plays a supporting role, but I think I just don’t quite like the individual components as much as those in the Drumshanbo Gunpowder gin. After tasting this and reflecting on the rest of the gins I’ve tried, I’m going to raise my rating on the Drumshanbo and align this one with Empress. A big thank you to @ContemplativeFox providing this sample. I would have never thought to try this one otherwise.

Nose - juniper, black pepper, lemon and lime zest, vanilla, bitter anise, celery, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - orange zest, juniper, ginger, black pepper, vanilla, floral notes, caramel, lemon, lime, sweet licorice, subtle oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast with juniper, cloying creamy vanilla and caramel, and citrus flavors. I don’t like this very much. On the nose, I don’t think I could distinguish it from Beefeater and Tanqueray. It has a juniper forward palate, but there’s a cloying caramel vanilla note that is really off putting. I imagine this would disappear in a cocktail, but it’s a bit sickening when you taste it neat. Overall, this is probably the worst gin I’ve tasted as part of my series this week, but not too far behind Bombay Sapphire for me.

Nose - juniper, spruce, Christmas tree, pine needle, lemon zest, citrus oil, black pepper, decomposing leaf, clove, mint tea, dry grass, orange, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - herbal and floral tea, juniper, violet, sweet, spruce, powdered sugar, marshmallow, vanilla cream, tree bark, lemon and grapefruit zest, earthy mint, clove, Christmas tree, moderate alcohol bite, finishing long and oily with Christmas tree, mint tea, and deep citrus flavors. So this is in the top 10 of all spirits on Distiller. With hype like that, you’re bound to be disappointed. I think this is very tasty, but not outstanding. I’m not qualified to identify most of the things I smell and taste, but I understand why others find it to be so complex. The strongest note I perceive across the entire experience is Christmas tree. The piney, sprucey, foresty tones are very dominant. There’s a nice minty, herbal tea note and an even nicer powdered sugar, marshmallow, cream vibe happening as well. I can see this one growing on me as I spend more time with it, but at the moment I would rank it alongside the Gunpowder gin. Luckily, I have a full liter of the stuff, so I’ll get many more chances to ruminate on it.

Nose - sweet lemon, lime, and grapefruit zest, thyme, cardamom, floral tea, juniper, white pepper, coriander, clove, anise, ginger, vanilla bean, orange, rose water, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - grapefruit zest, sweet floral tea, lemon, lime, orange, juniper, anise, cardamom, thyme, ginger, coriander, black pepper, allspice, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with sweet citrus zest, cardamom, tea, and juniper flavors. This has a very different nose and palate from the other gins I’ve tried. The dominant notes are sweet floral tea and citrus zest. The juniper is definitely present, but takes a back seat. It’s also much milder than the others I’ve tried. There is very little alcohol kick throughout the entire experience. I really like it, significantly more than Beefeater and Tanqueray and slightly more than Empress. It seems that I prefer gins that aren’t quite as juniper dominant. My review sample size is too small to make a definite judgement on that, but it appears to be leaning that way.