G.W. Goodwynn Co. Classic Gin

I have no clue what to say. It smells like my elementary school soap which also smells like my medical school's surgical scrub soap. Tastes exactly the way it smells. It's not bitter until very very late when a little bit sneaks up at the back of the palate. It basically tastes like distilled liquid soap. Good thing I like this soap's smell?

Nose - juniper, lemon and orange zest, floral notes, white pepper, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - juniper, lemon and grapefruit zest, light herbal and floral notes, white or black pepper, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing very fast with sour juniper and bitter citrus flavors. The notes are short because there’s really not much going on here. The nose and palate are extremely faint, almost nonexistent. I’m only getting juniper, a bit of citrus, and a little spice. The finish is the worst part: short, sour, and bitter. It’s not as actively offensive as the Seagram’s, so I’ll score it a bit higher than that one, but it’s definitely below average, bordering on poor.

This is the second of a side-by-side tasting of two French gins: Esmé, and the gin at hand, G.W. Goodwynn Co. Classic Gin (gotta be honest, that does not sound very French…). Which one will come out on top? Here’s a quick rundown of what I could find out about Goodwynn’s Classic Imported Gin: Style: London Dry Gin Country of Origin: France Disclosed Botanicals: juniper, citrus, coriander, cucumber ABV: 40% (100% neutral grain from unknown grains) Price: $22.99 Nose: Also very light. If my bottle of Empress 1908 is at volume 10, this is around a 4. Again, juniper is predominant but muted. There’s faint lemon zest and a floral quality. Suspiciously similar to the Esmé. Palate: Again, light bodied but the mouthfeel feels slightly less creamy. Lots of juniper, less lemon peel, bits of cucumber, and faint floral notes. Bright, fruity, and floral. Finish: Medium length with lots of juniper, a bit of ginger, and a floral note that becomes more rosy as it lingers. Verdict: This is very similar as far as taste and botanicals to the Esmé gin. It’s like someone took Esmé, turned the dials up a bit here, and down a bit there, and bottled it as Goodwyn. In fact, that maybe exactly what this is. The lemon comes across as less soapy in the this dram, but again, my personal preference is to not use lemon in gin-based cocktails so I’d be at a loss for what to use this with (I’m open to suggestions; I’m more of a grapefruit and/or orangey gal when it comes to gin). This isn’t much better than the Esmé, but at least it doesn’t suffer from all the soap. This falls into that “might be worth trying but wouldn’t buy a bottle” category. 3.5 ~Above Average (but not by much)