Eden Mill Sea Buckthorn Original Gin

An excellent choice for a G&T, the slightly citrusy, juniper and saline character is a match made in heaven for my Jack Rudy/Topo Chico mixer.

Ah gin... I hardly know thee. I admittedly have very little experience when it comes to gin. I believe to date I’ve only had 3 or 4 so my ability to delineate everything will most certainly be inferior to my abilities with whisky. Eden Mill is a Scottish distillery that produces craft gin, whisky, beer and ale. I’m not sure if their whisky is ready for bottling yet, but once it is I’m sure I’ll try it out. Sea Blackthorn is so named because Blackthorn berries are infused into the distillate. Bottled at 42% ABV and since there is no barrel aging done there is no color to speak of. I would assume this is chill filtered. A quick nosing reveals acetone and rubbing alcohol, not a great start. Slowing down a little and those harsher notes move aside and reveal juniper berries and a lemon/lime citrus. Pine needles but not as in your face as some the other gins I’ve had. Very floral and a bit fruity. Cherry blossoms and strawberries. Not fresh strawberries, but more like frozen strawberries or strawberry ice cream. Yes, strawberry ice cream with real strawberries in it. Took me a while to figure that one out but once I did I was really digging it. Coriander, slightly grainy and a bit herbal. The palate has a distinct lemon/lime taste that leans more towards the lime end of the spectrum. Berries - juniper, strawberry and raspberry. Pine with an underlying sweetness, grassy/herbal with some coriander. From time to time there is a harsh nip of alcohol that hurts this as a sipping spirit. A medium light bodied mouthfeel that is creamy and dry. The finish is medium long with pine, citrus and berries. Well, I still don’t feel that I have much in the way of gin expertise, but I’m one step closer. This came across as an above average gin for me. The palate wasn’t anything that I found special but the strong lemon/lime profile suggests it would work well with tonic. The strawberry notes on the nose was my favorite thing about this gin, really nice. Overall I have to go with a 3.5. Thank @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. Cheers

My confession from the one night stand: I know I strayed and I’m sorry. I swear it was a one night affair. I would never leave you. Yes, Miss Eden Mill gin had aromas of fresh junipers. Yes, she made me feel young again with her vibrant sea-breeze freshness, tastes of pine and tart berries. And oh my god, she left this amazing feeling after it was over, with lingering finish of crisp lemons and berries. But, it was a one night deviation, and I’m still coming home to my Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Springbank and my American beauties Four Roses and Elijah Craig. And yes, even though my one night affair was only $35, and yes even though she was memorable, I’ll still prefer my darker barley/rye/corn based beauties from Scotland, America and occasionally India, Australia and Japan. Will I stray again? Probably...after all my XY chromosome has deviation built into its DNA. I’ll probably enjoy it too.