cascode
Reviewed
October 12, 2020 (edited July 22, 2022)
Nose: Floral citrus - lemon gelato, orange blossom water, mandarine juice. Juniper, but it's well in check. Clove, and some of the usual spicy and herbal notes including oregano or basil.
Palate: Oily, thick and peppery - there's a much more prominent juniper note here than in the nose and some liquorice root and cassia bark for sure. Ginger? Cinnamon? A good measure of spice but less citrus than expected, and what is present is a little bitter and hard. There is some heat from the assorted spices.
Finish: Medium. The hot spices gradually simmer down to a mild buzz.
The nose is good, but not particularly interesting. The palate much the same. I always have the feeling when tasting gin that it is a much more "clustered" category of spirits than whisky. The vast majority, like this one, fall within a small range and there are only a few outliers that are either awful or really distinguished. I guess that's down to gin being an engineered product by its very nature, with little scope for magic to happen. It's all about finding a winning recipe and then consistently following it.
I have no issues with this, but I wouldn't rave about it either. It's OK but hardly inspirational neat, and when diluted by anything it seems to disappear. It takes its place among scores of other "just on the good side of average" gins. I wouldn't turn it down but I wouldn't go out of my way to obtain it either.
It works well in a classic G&T without any citrus added (a slice of lime or lemon is enough to obscure it) where it makes a crisp, fresh and refreshing drink. However at the asking price it's a little steep to recommend over some other very good gins that are available for the same money or less.
"Average" : 79/100 (2.75 stars)
75.0
AUD
per
Bottle