Hendrick's Orbium Gin

For being available in the US since 2018, it's odd that I'm only just now seeing this 6 years later. Regardless, one can always rely on Hendrick's to crank out variant after variant of gin, all of which aren't necessarily winners, but they're certainly different enough to try them out. From my understanding, this sounds like a gin & tonic all rolled into one, minus the carbonation. This has potential to at least be tasty, but I'm not sure of the uses here, minus just adding some soda and hoping that the G&T flavor is concentrated and comes through. As a not-exactly-inexpensive experiment, I do hope this does not end up being too potent, especially since I already have several other Hendrick's variants on the shelf that take a little longer to go through as they are. The nose is very clean, almost "cleaning chemicals" clean, but the juniper is the very simple star here. There's also a note of black pepper and a slight vegetal body, almost like a blanco tequila. Every fiber in my body begs this to be paired with lime, especially since there's almost no citrus anywhere on the nose, leaving the aforementioned simplicity to remain through repeated smelling. The initial flavor is juniper focused and actually has a touch of fruitiness, but a bitter punch is right around the corner. The quinine comes through quickly and confidently, and although the flavor and body turn from approachable and light to now dry, bitter, and aggressive, it's still very much welcomed by a classic tonic lover. Repeated sips take the fruitiness from before and transform it into a very dry collection of citrus pith and peels, although mostly the former. I love the simplicity here, which isn't to speak on the flavor, but instead how this tastes exactly how I expected it to, with no real surprises or redirects. I still don't really know the best use cases for it, but my first adventure is definitely going to be ice cold, freshly opened club soda or seltzer, and a big squeeze of juicy, oily lime. I would be wary to combine this with more tonic, especially tonic waters I'm usually fond of that also utilize fresh quinine, given that there really isn't anything redeeming about the base gin, other than very basic juniper. Having said all that, as a standalone spirit, I don't find myself craving coming back to it, and although I think a nice ice cube would simultaneously provide some complexity and mellowness, at the end of the day, this doesn't seem like a necessity buy.

This has to one of the most interesting gins I've ever had. The finish is so light. No heat. Bitter turns to a weird sweetness (it's not sweet per se) and floral then to a magic act of almost disappearing. I suspect it's the quinine that interacts with the gin at the finish.

Just sipping this neat on ice. It’s very pleasant and warming. I enjoyed it with tonic and lime recently but it was more bitter than I prefer.

Floral up front with a long, piney-dank burn.