Beefeater London Dry Gin (47%)

I'm not usually one to drink gin neat, but its actually pretty good. The nose definitely hits you with juniper and orange peel. On the palate, you get the citrus and juniper as well as cardamom and some heat. The spice really comes through on the way down and while there is some heat, its really not that bad. I probably wont be making this a daily routine or anything but for a gin it is pretty good neat. I think the real value is in cocktails. I think this is the best London dry gin to use in classic cocktails. It makes an amazing negroni. At the price, you cant beat it. Tanqueray is solid but a bit too expensive in comparison and while I'm a big fan of Plymouth gin, it's a bit too light and doesnt have enough backbone to stand up in some cocktails. Quite simply, Beefeater is probably the best london dry gin around and the value just makes it that much better.

Rather than debase myself by attempting to describe what I smell and taste with no context whatsoever, I thought I’d share a story about this Gin. My lovely wife has extended a begrudging acceptance of my whisky hobby. Due to said hobby, I find myself at the liquor store relatively often, and I feel like we reached a turning point when I said, “I’m going to the liquor store.” And she to wit replied, “Oooooh bring back Gin!”. This is a good step. She won’t drink whisky but she will drink with me. I haven’t spent too much time in the Gin aisle. Imagine my surprise when I find that there’s just as many Gin choices and there are whisky choices! What to choose (suggestions from here notwithstanding). The wife and I went to England for two weeks a few years back, and during our time in London, we visited the Beefeater distillery. Very slick tour, cool facility, and free Gin and Tonics at the end. Not bad. Moreover, we had a positive trip memory associated with this brand. Probably what they were going for, but still... So I bought this. And it’s good. Slightly sweet. Good in cocktails balanced against citrus. Good with Tonic. Good for hot weather. Good for the wife. Cheers!

Love it straight or with G & T. Can’t beat it for the price.

A sweet gin. Good for the price, better than tanqueray. Moderate smoothness.

Excellent smooth conventional gin, juniper-forward, but with more complexity and richness and range than the similar Tanqueray; nothing imbalanced, as w so many gins, including or especially the modern fancy overly complexified ones. Easy and pleasing to drink straight w an ice cube.