Tastes

Wajos have been a little bit of a mixed bag for me in the past, never outstanding or terrible, always just sorta mediocre to okay, but their Christmas Gin is a rather well made composition of red fruit tea and baking spice notes (cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom) in the nose, though the baking spices tend to take over the fruit tea both neat and with tonic. Might be worth experimenting with adding a dash of a sloe gin, red fruit gin, red fruit liqueur or actual red fruit tea for serving.

Very tasty, delicate, balanced, refined nose of light juniper, fruity grapes, fresh herbs and a hint of flowers, unfortunately a little too stingy for neat enjoyment, tonic largely washes out the fragile profile. Would've liked to recommend it either neat or with tonic purely by how nice the nose is, but alas I can't.

Intensely spicy, absolute cardamom and coriander bomb. I've had and enjoyed some rather spicy gins in the past but this one takes it to an unbalanced extreme that I could only tolerate because I don't mind cardamom and coriander.

Inspired by and (besides juniper berries) featuring the seven botanicals found in "green sauce" from the Frankfurt region of Germany, this gin is initially junipery, then full of freshness and kitchen herbs, though more so vegetal and freshly harvested than savoury or dried. I don't have a reference for how closely it matches the sauce but it stands on its own as being unique and interesting.

Lightly junipery with hints of cocoa in the nose, neat palate almost disappearingly light on the cocoa which is pronounced more by tonic but also put at odds with the tonic's tartness. Elephant Orange & Cocoa Gin offers a better balanced and actually more affordable alternative even though Elephant isn't a budget brand to begin with.

Practically entirely blackberry, intense, sweet, perhaps a little unnatural, like blackberry jam or European blueberry (more accurately known as bilberry, blaeberry or whortleberry) preserves. If you know Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla, this is to blackberries and bilberries what that one is to oranges.

Enjoyably complex gin offers a flavor journey that's junipery, brightly citrusy, peppery with hints of florals and savoury herbs neat, with tonic fruity, citrusy and floral at first, then turns dry, fresh and a little bitter.

The main notes are wildflowery, citrusy, hoppy, hay-like dry with a little woodiness only in the nose, tonic's sugar compliments the wildflower elements but overall everything comes together rather so-so.

Hailing from the same region from Germany and featuring only two botanicals less than Monkey 47, this gin clocks in at an impressive 45 ingredients and the profile is accordingly complex. Lime-heavy citrus, ginger spiciness, herbs and berries in the nose, the palate adds black pepper and a little sourness, what sounds like an edgy, strong character actually calms down very well with tonic and works pretty well at the end of the day.

The nose is junipery, woody, almost a bit towards tree sap, which wouldn't be terrible per se, but it also carries a strong impression of turpentine to me. The palate takes all those things including the turpentine, particularly in the aftertaste, and adds a little more herbs and peppery spice. Everything else might work together, but the turpetine throws me off in every way I consumed this gin.