Copperworks Northwest Small Batch Gin

Rating: 16/23 This is a big improvement over the vodka. The vodka had a few flavors that were really nice and then this gross tarry clone. This all but eliminates the tar while adding additional piney and citrus complexity and balance. It's like a naturally sweet London dry gin without tasting flat or punching you in the face. There's no way it's below a 15 and I can see up to a 17. I'm going with a 16. Huh, I gave this a 10 last time, so that's a big difference. Either my palate was in a very different state or they've changed something about this gin. I'm inclined to believe the latter (which is not the usual direction I go when this comes up) because on both occasions this was the second spirit in a flight, on both occasions their vodka was the first, and on both occasions I gave the vodka a 12. The good news is that this batch is a really good gin.

Tough for me to review since I don’t normally drink straight gin, but it seems nice. Balanced flavors (I get the juniper but it doesn’t taste like pine-sol), just also very very strong alone.

It has this weird mushroomy umami dirty socks note on the nose that reminds me of scotch. The palate has tons of minerals. It's very clean in a sense but it has this overpowering mineral flavor that is hard on the palate. It actually leaves my tongue feeling rough. The flavor is really subdued to a problematic extent. It's amazing that something with this nose can taste so mineral and spicy. The spices are hard to place amidst the alcohol but they are there. The spices do really bite in a way that is too extreme. I can believe that there are corriander and lemon peel in here but the flavor is really generic and unexciting. This is not enjoyable to drink but isn't too aggressive to not function as a mixer. It tastes very much like a standard gin with plenty of corriander and juniper. It's strong and harsh, but not overly bitter. It's solid, but not anything too special or great. There's a hint of vanilla, but not much. There's too much mineral.