Appearance: Clear blood red. Aroma: Spiced blackberries (clove and cinnamon), plums, morello cherries in syrup, orange pomander ball. Flavour and Texture: Tasted neat it is sweet with a tart edge, like red berries with a dusting of sugar so that the acidic taste comes through but is modulated by sweetness. When diluted with tonic water the fruitiness becomes more sparkling and fresh, and moves forward. Citrus and honey notes are then also revealed. The neat texture is full but not syrupy. A very enjoyable flavoured gin. It is almost (but not quite) sweet enough to enjoy as a neat liqueur, but as a mixer it really takes off. You can taste the foundation Plymouth gin in the recipe and the sloe berry flavor is well balanced against the other botanicals. I’d recommend trying this in a classic G&T with ice and a slice of lemon or lime, and make it as a fairly dilute drink – about 1 part gin to 4 or even 6 parts tonic. It might seem counter intuitive but the more you dilute this the more it gives. Try it if you don’t believe me! I have not yet experimented with this as an addition to winter punches, but I have a feeling it will work very well. Hmm, I might just make a batch of glögg tonight and try it out. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)