Bols Zeer Oude Genever

ΣΠΙΤΙ ΚΕΡΚΥΡΑ

Bit better. Gin with some malt character and body.

Nose: Fragrant (almost floral) top notes of juniper and pine over a darker caramel-cereal base. Oak casks and malt spirit. This has a sweet, lightly spiced and seductive nose with hints of wheat-grain whisky and corn new-make, but it is composed and elegant with no raw notes. The dry glass has fascinating aromas of salt flats and low tide estuaries - I can almost hear the curlews wailing! Palate: A rich, sweet, oily and malty arrival. In the development there are treacle notes, a tinge of liquorice and botanical complexity. A faint suggestion of maritime salt appears, but there is no smoke at all. The texture is chewy but the sensation of a robust but crisp gin is never far away, although juniper itself is not obvious at all. Finish: Medium. Slightly salty and earthy. Malt and cereal fade into a sweet aftertaste that is evocative of sunset over peaceful seaside landscapes. Oude genever is more suited to neat sipping than jonge genever - the malt component is higher and it is uncannily more like tasting young whisky than gin. The official Distiller tasting notes summarize this as "Rich" and I think that's a very apt descriptor. It makes me think of brocaded drawing rooms with heavy velvet drapes and figures in old portraits peering from beneath layers of sfumato as courtiers sip herbal liqueurs. It's dense, fragrant and elegant. If whisky did not exist this would be my spirit of choice. The official notes here are right on target. This is a smooth, soft and comfortable spirit that is best thought of as a spiced cereal new-make that has had a little barrel conditioning. It is excellent as a neat sipping spirit but also works as a delicious mixer, however oude genever is less interchangable with London dry gin than jonge genever, and mixing it seems like wasting a spirit that deserves neat appreciation. I've just ordered another two bottles. At the current price it is a steal. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Round,sweet, kelp, malty