Squealing Pig Rose Gin

Nose: Juniper, citrus, lavender. It's a classic, straight-down-the-middle gin nose. There is just a hint of sweetness from the rosé, but if I tasted it blind I probably wouldn't identify it as such, as it could just as easily be from a berry botanical. Palate: On the sweeter side of neutral, well balanced by citrus and a well chosen bouquet of botanicals. The added dash of rosé is much more noticeable on the palate, but it's certainly not intrusive. It serves mainly to add a cloak of complexity and texture, rather than just a flavour component. Finish: Medium. Juniper and the rosé hint tail off into a mildly spicy finish. This is, obviously, a gin that includes a small amount of rosé wine which lends a pale salmon pink colour and an agreeable faint sweetness and richness of texture. Squealing Pig is primarily a winery and gin distillation is a more recent side-line. They also have a pinot noir gin that I have not yet tasted. Very pleasant and refreshing. At first I was a little sceptical about the combination but it has been adroitly handled here, the keys to its success being moderation and balance. This is not a weird and over-intense gin, but one that has been composed with style and skill to be very much a classic London dry gin with just a dash of individuality. It's also a cheeky double-shuffle on "pink gin" - I wonder what it would be like with bitters? The distiller suggests taking it with soda over ice, but I much preferred it with light tonic and just a curl of lemon rind. It makes a very good classic gin and tonic. Tasted from a shared sample - thank you, Wei. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)