Big.
We wanted this to be big. And it is.
A punchy burst of juniper that starts on the nose, leading with pine and various other terpenes, followed by subtly spliced florals lending complexity.
The palate follows suit with various coniferous resins and a robust snap of black pepper, moderately softened by a tinge of sweet licorice and trace musk, before resolving into a lingering daze of juniper whorls.
The only thing left wanting in the finish is another sip. Beware; kitty's got claws.
This is a simple gin. It's got a lot of juniper. Everything else is just there to support it. When I dreamed about this, I wanted some of what I love about Tanqueray with a lot more juniper. At 45% this is teetotaling on the edge of the most pine resin we can jam into it without having to make it higher in ABV, any lower and we risked louching. I didn't want to throw off the balance by making it too hot, so we left it at this intensity. A generous amount of juniper in the vapour path adds a bit of complexity to the nose, but it's flavour contribution is lost in the oily slicks.
