Archie Rose Tailored Gin

Archie Rose Distillery blending & tasting event, November 29th 2020. This review is about an event, not a specific product. Read on and all will become clear. Archie Rose is a distillery located in the Sydney suburb of Rosebery. They run events, tastings, tours and “visitor experiences” and this review is about their Gin-Blending Class and Tailored Gin. All Archie Rose gins are created using a hybrid method of distillation and blending. Each botanical (eg juniper, coriander, orris root etc) is distilled separately and these distillates are then blended. It gives them flexibility with creating new expressions and maintaining consistency, and it also allows them to run blending classes in which you can create your own gin from a base spirit and a selection of their botanical distillates. If you are happy with your gin, you can then go onto their site and save the recipe, and the distillery will make it to order with a personalised label - that is an Archie Rose "Tailored Gin". Mrs Cascode and I attended such an event last Sunday and the best part for me was being able to taste a range of pure botanical distillates. Some were exactly as I thought they would be, but others were surprising, and aromas and flavours that I’d never correctly identified before fell into place. You don’t get to see or take part in any actual distillation, however, which I thought was a missed opportunity. I also thought that it was a pity that the base spirit you use to build your gin recipe is actually the standard Archie Rose gin, so you are not really making a true personalised gin, just flavouring their product. I don’t understand why they do this instead of allowing you to simply mix distillates as you wish or build on a base of neutral spirit. It may be something to do with their liquor license. The event was AUS$115 and we both enjoyed it. The event also includes a tasting of 6 Archie Rose products, but if we had been able to do real distillation and make something truly unique it would have been even better. Still, it was a fun day out and I’d recommend it if you are in Sydney some time. "Good Fun” : 80/100 (3 stars)