Tastes

The reviews indicate this is citrus fwd and heavier than it's non cask strength brethren. Taste wise it's easily drinkable despite it's abv. Flavour wise I personally think it's still as subtle and not that 'heavier' spirit and its gets lost a bit in tonic. I tried this a number of times with different mixes but not really a stand out for me. Ki No Tea was the favourite of the range for me.

Back on the Ki No for a post match drink ....this is nice but i definitely preferred the Ki No Tea offering it completely gets lost in anything i mix it with and whilst nice isn't as impactful as Monkey47 or Roots. 200ml bottle was more than enough.

Watching the All Blacks vs Australia rugby with mates in an old mans sports bar and saw this on the shelf and thought worth having a crack. I tried it neat first. The ice dulled the flavour somewhat but still very oily flavourful dram. Sadly only Schweppes tonic to mix but still held up ok. Much preferred drinking straight. 4.25 straight, 3.75 with tonic. Need to try with East Imperial.

Solid clean. Hit of juniper and base spirit. Mixes well with East Imperial Grapefruit tonic. Relatively blank canvas.

I believe this must have been in my gin disliking days I originally rated this as not sure how I gave it a 3. This is damn nice straight. I drank this neat and it's brilliant. It gets a bit lost in the East Imperial Grapefruit tonic..needs a subtle touch..maybe even a soda water. I think I'd just drink this straight. This shoots into by top few. 4.25 to 4.5 easy. Update: 3 time decider. I'm thinking more a 4+ It's very subtle but there is something that does it for me. It is a great gin but needs a decent tonic pairing.

Final trio of the gin tasting today. These guys have been distilling whiskey for a while now and have branched out into gin. They've gone for a heavily botanical style of gin. Relatively simple but well balanced. Juniper, lemon, lemongrass, cardamom and coriander. I like it!

No. 2 on the imagination tasting. Juice from the rhubarb and raspberries is extracted and blended with orris root, juniper, coriander and manuka.  Whole New Zealand navel oranges and lemons create a citrus complement to the fruity base with cinnamon and liquorice rounding it out. Not to bad but preferred their standard offering.

It's been a couple of weeks since I've had a drink but walking into my local grocery store they had gin tasting so when in rome and offered wine and all that....This is a local NZ made gin. They've been in business for 5 years now distilling at a local brewery. Juniper, coriander, cinnamon, licorice root, orris root, orange, lemon and lime with a tiny amount of manuka hydrosols to create an earthy heart to the gin. Nice balanced gin. Doesn't surpass my favourite gins though.

Eight botanicals are used when distilling this handcrafted gin - ClemenGold and orange peel, cinnamon, ground almond, juniper berries, angelica and orris root, and coriander are macerated and vapour-infused. ClemenGold, South Africa’s premium mandarin, is a wonderfully sweet and aromatic (and easy to peel & virtually seedless) soft citrus fruit that is sun-ripened and handpicked by selected mandarin growers from across the world. In South Africa, where ClemenGold Gin originates, it is grown in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, the Southern and Western Cape. That's an abbreviation of parts of the official blurb, my take is very nice. The mix of citrus orange with East Imperial tonic really is lovely. Not the cheapest here at nearly $50USD for 500ml but lovely drop.