Sonic8222
Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin
Modern Gin — Ireland
Reviewed
February 15, 2021 (edited June 24, 2021)
Tasting from a 50ml sample.
Alright, so they got me with the buzzword "gunpowder." Honestly, I'd do anything to smell gunpowder again anyway, so maybe that's why we're here. However, this has a good amount of botanicals, good quality citrus fruits, and the aforementioned special tea, which even if it's just buzz, tea is always a good botanical choice.
Low juniper scent, and great citrus. It seems to be a blend between bitter oil and fresh juice of the citrus, which is great, so long as it's balanced. The proof is, at first, just a background thought, but after the citrus and additional floral notes fade, the proof becomes harsh and causes an almost instant recoil.
The initial taste is slightly spicy, with a body that is both oily and still light. The first notes are floral, and the tea, but nothing special. The bitter citrus now comes through, and builds somewhat slowly to a spicy, peppery finish. This is the first time that the juniper actually makes itself obvious.
Okay, so this is definitely doused in bait, with the "gunpowder," fancy bottle, and glass color. Having said that, this is still a moderately good gin, with more focus on the floral side without sacrificing the body, citrus, or juniper notes. This is also one of few gins with a good tea note, but since myself and likely very few others know what gunpowder tea is without the internet, it's more of a guessing game to seeing how true to form it is.
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Gunpowder describes how the tea looks - rolled into tiny little balls (old-fashioned gunpowder) and has been around for a very long time. It has nothing to do with the flavor or taste. For sure Drumshanbo is using this as marketing and hopes you don't know.
One I was thinking to get. After all the hype, I was hoping it’d have scored higher
Gunpowder teas are unfermented so unlike black tea they do not create a dark amber-red brew or have rich tannic qualities. I usually find they produce a pale yellowish-green brew with grassy, hay like notes and minimal tannin bite. Some types have subtle notes of peach. I do find some of the notes of green tea in Drumshanbo, and in Roku Gin, which also has tea as an ingredient so yes, it does show up but it's certainly not like you taste either and think "oh yeah, that's tea for sure". Good review, BTW.
"Honestly, I'd do anything to smell gunpowder again" sounds a heck of a lot like "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" 😂