Nolet's Silver Gin

It's time to revisit this. The first (only) time I've tried it was at an upscale hotel bar and it was in a Martini. It was superb, but I'm here to find out if my memory of this cocktail was skewed by the beautiful scenery, the beachside location or the great company. Tasted here neat from the bottle in a bucket glass after a few minutes rest. The nose is melted raspberry sorbet, strong floral scents (of which rose is an element), liquorice, cardamom and slight juniper. It's quite a complex, interesting and surprising. Really a lot going on here, some of its not so subtle. That said, I don't find anything off putting or unagreeable even if it isn't at all the smells I associate with gin. There is a very slight sweetness to this. On the palate I'm getting the raspberry and peach comes out on the exhale. I didn't really get the peach up front on the nose, but it's there on the swallow. There's slight juniper - one would be remiss to suggest there's anything of pine here. This is a soft gin. There is a LOT of floral notes, some tart spices flash through and I have a hard time picking them apart. Cardamom, anise, perhaps a touch of turmeric as well. This is a very complex gin even as it doesn't present as a challenging drink. This is easy to enjoy neat. Let's add a chip of ice and see where that brings us. As expected, the nose is mightily subdued by the cold. On the tongue the sweetness edge is dulled, the flowers wilt a bit, the raspberry and peach tone down the rhetoric. Much more gin-like. I'm not a big G&T drinker. Every now and then, sure. Sounds great. But for the most part I'm a Martini and Negroni type of tippler. I haven't had this in a Negroni, but I'm thinking it would do REALLY well in one made with Aperol (strawberry infused?) instead of Campari. This is really quite tasty. Above the ordinary for sure. It's not in Monkey 47 territory, but what is? Recommended for those times when you'd like something different but not too challenging, complex and deep but not too demanding. Flexible, tasty, affordable... what's not to like?

For me, on both the nose and palate, this gin has an overwhelming “peach” note. I say “peach” because one could also interpret it as bubblegum or a pleasantly scented cleaner. Beyond that is citrus and juniper, of course, and a decent amount of heat. Tried neat and in G+T, and both were really quite good. I’m surprised, since I typically do not like floral gins (like Hendrick’s Orbium), but as I taste and smell the main note of this gin as fruit, it works for me.