Giselle Pavlova Gin

Vanilla, Sugar, Very sweet. I love this!

Nose: Fruity overtones to a generic gin profile. Juniper is almost unnoticeable and the overriding aroma is like cotton candy. Strawberries, vanilla – yes, I guess this does smell like pavlova. Orange in the background and some trace cardamom and fenugreek. Palate: Sweet, candied, fruity arrival – very confectionery and very, very sweet. There is a little spice on the edges as it develops and a pleasant creamy vanilla presence. Strawberries, raspberries. Damn – this even tastes like pavlova. Finish: Medium. Sweet, spicy and fruity into the aftertaste. This must be one of the oddest gins I’ve tasted for a while. Pavlova, for those who do not know, is an iconic Australian/New Zealand dish. We argue about who invented it but no Aussie or Kiwi Christmas is complete without a "pav". It consists of a base of meringue, crispy on the bottom and gooey on top, topped with whipped cream and whatever selection of fruit is in season (typically strawberries, raspberries or sweet citrus, often with passionfruit). It's a delicious sugar-overdose dessert. Nosferatu Distillery in Melbourne started out in 2018 with a blood-orange flavoured gin, also called Nosferatu, and that gin is used as the base ingredient for this one. I believe the process uses re-distillation plus infusion with added flavourings post-distillation. It’s very difficult to rate. It’s not unpleasant but tasted neat it is so sweet and full-bodied it’s almost more like a liqueur. There must be a hefty dose of sugar added to this. In fact you could almost sell it as a liqueur except there is an undeniable gin background that might turn people off. It’s kind of like sloe-gin but flavoured with sugar candy instead of sloes. In a gin and tonic it works to an extent, but the quinine intrudes on the sweet character too much. It’s probably best just by itself or with fruit juice or in a cocktail where its qualities can be correctly balanced. I can’t hate this, it’s actually quite nice and almost compelling, but it’s absolutely not a “straight” gin and so it is hard to rate against other products. In terms of its use in a G&T or martini this is hopeless against a good London gin. Would I buy a bottle – no. At the asking price I can buy any number of supurb gins that are more versatile and simply better. Would I accept a free pour – in a heartbeat. There’s nothing at all wrong with it, it’s just quirky and certainly not merely an average gin. Tasted from a free 50ml promotional sample. “Above Average” : 81/100 (3 stars)