Belle of Dayton Gin

Batch number 15. It's always local gins that have higher, more impressive proofs, but still, it's always good to support local (and this is right down the street local). Also so rare to find is a rye mashbill gin, so this is really checking a lot of good boxes. It sounds like the botanical count is medium to small, so I'm hoping this lets the spicy rye show through. Juniper and floral notes lead the nose, with ethanol starting to burn the edges of the nose. There's very little citrus, but it's there, with orange being at the forefront. There's not much else to be found here, so a tasty simplicity is what I'm hoping for. The initial flavor is highly floral with a slight cereal note. The citrus soon emerges, along with the juniper soon after. All is very standard up until the rye flavors come up, and along with some air and the 93 proof, this gin explodes into a spicy juniper mixture. The finish is hot on the gums like rye whiskey, but the juniper and floral notes still ride their way out. Almost nothing good comes out of or goes into Dayton, Ohio, so it's nice to find something worth justifying this city. Belle of Dayton has some "interesting" spirits and flavored vodkas that I've seen around, so it's good to know that they can really pull off a proper gin. You'll have to go into this with the expectation of a modern-day, American "spin on gin," but the spice the rye imparts is a great kicker to any traditional dry gin. The small history the distillery has is quite nice, too. If you're looking to support this mundane city, this would be a great way to do so. However, if you're looking for a gin to literally spice up your bar, that is a much better reason to purchase this.