From that distilling hotbed that is the Pacific Northwest, we have another new entry. This one from Bluewater Distilling in Everett comes with a sustainability focus. A portion of profits go to an environmental organization; the gin itself proudly declares it “organic.” It also performed well at the Seattle Gin Society’s annual Ginvitational. Halcyon won best Washington gin.

Followers of gin and gin awards in particular should know by now that there’s certain predilections among certain awards. Last year the Seattle Gin Society trended towards preferring classic style gins. Martin Miller’s, a personal favorite of this blog won “best gin,” and the best Northwest Gin was the also excellent and classic leaning Big Gin. As the winner of best Washington Gin this year, would it be a classical styled gin? Yes. Let’s get on to the tasting.

Tasting Notes
Bright with juniper, fresh lemon and a hint of cinnamon spice on the nose. Smells smooth, very nice, very gin-like. The taste echoes the nose beautifully. Deceptively smooth for a 92 proof gin. A little earthy and warm first, juniper builds quickly with citrus sweetness hovering just around the edges, never quite overpowering the juniper forward approach. A nice earthiness with angelica and orris root hovers on the edges. Juniper forward, and actually quite smooth the whole way through. The tail is moderate, juniper and citrus, leaning citrus. Mild heat, but never burning. Very nicely balanced with a good quality and nice flavor. I’m really enjoying this gin, and we’re at the part of the tasting where I’m sipping neat. Quite impressed.

Mixing
I really liked it with tonic, giving off a nice warm juniper and gin like character that compliments the quinine. Pulls of the Negroni nicely, with a subtle juniper flavor. Doesn’t taste as powerful as other 90+ proof gins in this drink, but it’s still quite good. The smoothness and flavor of it cause Halcyon gin to excel in a martini. Again, I will say that at 46%, it is actually deceptively strong based on the taste alone. And that taste is quite great. I found it hard to find a cocktail that I did not like this gin in. Aviation? Beautiful. Corpse Reviver? Southside? Double Check. Where other gins sometimes wilt, or highlight “off” notes, Halcyon excels across the board.

For folks who like classic style gin, there’s few better options out there. Halcyon Gin is on a short list of American craft gins which should compete for the palettes of gin drinkers who love the Gordon’s, the Beefeaters, Tanquerays and Boodles of the world.  I don’t mean this to be disparaging about the classics that  are out there. Most are quite good. But for a long time if you wanted to drink American, you weren’t drinking alternatives to the big classic names. But now they have competition. I would without a doubt recommend Halcyon to the classic gin drinker. It’s not exactly Beefeater. Sure, it has its own take. Which is good, slightly unique, but still juniper forward with citrus and earthiness to compete with the big names.

In short, this is a gin that I am pondering making an addition to my cabinet.

Price: $34/ 750 mL
Origin:  Washington, United States
Best consumed:  If you like classic style gin, this is going to work for you in everything from a glass of gin neat to the Corpse Reviver #2 and Aviation. Adds a nice, but not overpowering juniper/citrus note to any cocktail you want to put it in. 
Availability: Washington
Website: http://www.bluewaterdistilling.com
Rating: A well styled classic gin from the Pacific Northwest. Mixes well, has nice strength and a fantastic smoothness. Highly recommended to all fans of Classic style gin. 
***** (5/5)

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The Gin Husband a.k.a. Aaron has reviewed Green Hat Gin before here. I quote, “Floral, with a bit of lemon and a jam. Bright, vibrant, contemporary styled gin but with juniper in the background. Very smooth and very drinkable.”

Twin Gins

I am mostly in agreement. I will add that I distinctly smell bananas in this gin – not real bananas. Those crazy runt banana candies that came out of filthy coin operated machines that my parents unwittingly let me eat. (Now they sell them in boxes!) I think I once saw just the bananas sold in bulk at a supermarket once. They were clearly the best of the bunch.  (Ha! Get it?) Come to think of it, I’m not sure they’re actually banana flavored. It may be some crazy citrus combination, which would make sense.

Anyway.

I kept telling Aaron that I smelled banana, and I’m sure he still thinks I’m crazy. But I greatly enjoyed the Green Hat Gin and the nostalgia of questionable candy.

Moving on…a spring/summer varietal had appeared in our kitchen! I thought, Gin Wife, now things are crazy. Now they are making gin-twins. But do not let appearances deceive - these are two very different gins. The Green Hat Spring/Summer bottle features some nice hats (a lady hat, too, for those of us ladies who drink gin and, ahem, also must have our vice).

This seasonal gin, while looking very similar, smells and tastes completely different. Seasonal Green Hat is fresh and vibrant, not so much on the floral (to me) but much stronger on the citrus. As a bit of a juniper and astringency-phobe, I was surprised to find that I could drink this straight up, no ice, no mixers. The juniper is present towards the end of the drinking-experience, much like that last dip on a roller coaster before the ride pulls to a smooth halt and you have to depart with your belongings. Except with this gin, you don’t want to depart. You want to be belligerent and demand another round, perhaps going to the tonic water falls or lime slice rapids.

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It seems like there’s a few hot trends among gin distillers.One of them definitely is the creation of “seasonal” or “limited edition” runs. Green Hat Distilled Gin from New Columbia Distillers in Washington D.C. burst onto the scene just late last year, and in addition to their rather excellent in this reviewer’s opinion Green Hat Gin, they’ve released their first seasonal selection for this year’s spring and summer.

As it’s a seasonal gin for spring and summer, I’m heavily assuming this is a gin built for the official drink of summer: the Gin and Tonic. I’m going to factor that heavily into my review of this drink. In my opinion if you’re putting out a seasonal gin for summer, you’ve got to be able to handle lazy days in the yard. Being combined all willy-nilly with lemonade, tonic, or whatever else might be sitting in the cooler. But fear not, I’ll test it in some proper cocktails too, because although I like the idyllic vision of pulling a bottle gin out of the cooler on the beach, I know that properly made bar cocktails deserve a little bit of summer love too.

Expectations
Green Hat Gin was bright, floral, and contemporary styled. Naturally, you might be expecting that here as well. If you did guess that. 10 points to you and your house. Now on to that tasting.

Nose and Palate
The nose immediately calls to mind a fresh field of flowers and cool homemade strawberry jam. It still has that citrusy, slight hint of spice nose that their main gin has as well. But overwhelmingly floral, but very nice. The taste starts out with a tinge of spice, leading with bright citrus. Lime and orange, but not entirely distinct. A bit of heat rises and that’s when the floral notes start to hit you, rose and lavender, and unusually sweet. There’s some juniper in the close, along with a peppery earthiness. Nice balance and a lot of distinct unique flavors.

Unusual Botanical Alert!
Green Hat’s seasonal gin features a botanical which I can’t say I’ve ever seen before in a gin: Fresh Cherry Blossoms. For those of you are who really into the idea that a gin’s unique botanicals should contribute a sense of place, there is a connection between Cherry Blossoms and Washington D.C.

Every spring Washington D.C. plays hosts to the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The trees were a gift from the mayor of Tokyo in 1912, and the festival is a huge annual event attracting over 700,000+ people to Washington every year, with articles in all the major papers of when the Cherry Blossoms are in peak bloom.

In a way Cherry Blossoms are special to Washington, but also a note which pays homage to Japan. An annual reminder that spring is official upon us.

And now back to your regularly scheduled tasting.

Mixing Notes:
Firstly in a gin and tonic. The floral notes up front are kind of hidden and it puts a bit of emphasis on the tail notes of juniper and warm spice. Good, still somewhat floral, but perhaps not as overwhelmingly so as you might have expected. That touch of bitterness competes with the florals just a touch. To really highlight this drink, I think that it was best in the Gin Rickey, with an honorable mention to the South Side. It even mixed well with a batch of multi-citrus lemonade I had in the fridge [my lemonade used a mix of lime, orange and lemon, perhaps the perfect counterpart to a gin which also uses three citrus fruits in it...].

I found that it actually made a rather good Negroni, the floral coming through nicely, but a mellow, almost cinnamon like sweetness on the close.  I think that the best aspect of this summer gin is that at its slightly higher proof than regular Green Hat Gin you’re getting a bit more of the gin character in some more complex mixed drinks. But oddly enough, I think that on its own the main Green Hat Gin is the perfect summer gin as well. Both work well in summer drinks, I’d take the main Green Hat over the Spring/Summer version in a Gin and Tonic by just smidge, but for those of you looking for a slightly different take on the floral bouquet from the standard offering, or just looking for something unique/novel for this spring, I recommend Green Hat’s seasonal offering.

Price: $34/ 750 mL
Origin:  District of Columbia, United States
Best consumed:  Executes several summer classics with utter precision: Southside and Gin Rickey among the standouts. 
Availability: At the distillery and bars in Washington D.C. [very limited edition though]
Website: http://greenhatgin.com/
Rating: Bright, floral and a great spring/summer gin to make those spring/summer cocktails. Love the increase in proof over the main Green Hat Gin, but its a tall order to compete as a spring/summer gin when the main offering already is a quintessential summer gin. For the season, I don’t think you can go wrong with either Green Hat in your cooler. That is if you’re the kind of guy or gal that packs a bottle of  gin in your cooler.
***½~ (3.5/5)

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Okay, phew. Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s get down to the first ‘micro-tasting.’

Blade: introductory notes.
Very intrigued by the fact that the base mixed a standard neutral grain base with grape spirits as well. Grape spirits have been used by a couple of other brands to great effect, but this is the first gin that I know of that has mixed these two bases in this way. Also, it proudly proclaims right on the website that it “ is NOT a heavy Juniper-forward London Dry Gin.” So I think we know what we’re getting: a California gin perhaps?

Blade: tasting.
Lots of citrus on the nose, and a small touch of juniper. Nice, sweet and somewhat sedate. The taste is a swirl of a lot of different flavors and notes. Cardamom and citrus, black pepper and something herbal (cilantro?), a wave of somewhat sharp juniper accompanied by notes of mint. A bit of heat from the alcohol, 47% making itself a bit known. Finish is a bit piercing, sticking in the corners of your mouth, somewhat sour and acidic. Finishing notes of lemon, citrus peel.

Blade: w/ tonic.
It puts a bit of an emphasis on the after taste. That strong bitter citrus peel taste, and herbal notes. Pepper, but flavor wise, not necessarily the spice. Juniper kind of pushed to the background. It starts quite nice and refreshing, but a couple of those tail notes seem cloudy and unbalanced. Not refreshing, but a bit palette cleansing, souring and drying. Getting more of that cilantro note here. I think there’s something to be said for gins which take a different approach to what a contemporary gin could taste like, but I’m not in love.

I think there’s some interesting notes in here, and neat they seem to present themselves better than they did in tonic  [in my very limited test]. I’d love to take a closer look at some point in the future, but sadly at this juncture based on my limited test I remain a bit underwhelmed.

Price: $32/ 750 mL
Origin:  California, United States
Best consumed:  [reserve the right to update in the future] neat. 
Availability: California and Online. [see here].
Website: http://oldworldspirits.com/
Rating: In my limited taste, I was a bit underwhelmed. Lots of competing flavors, a little confusion/lack of balance. Among contemporary gins, there are a few that use a similar botanical combination and pull it off a bit more successfully. 
**~~~ (2/5)

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Often when we get talking about craft gin in the United States we inevitably get to talking about “contemporary” gin. Those “crazy,” “new western,” “new American,” “out there,” “not your grandpa’s gin,” and other such descriptors. Perish those terms from your mind now. Denver Dry Gin is none of those and a whole lot more. This is truly a craft gin for those who were raised on classic London Dry gins who might now be looking for a craft alternative.

Neat:
Nose is bright, full of juniper, soft citrus and a touch of coriander. Nice, immediately recognizable as gin, and classic at that. Taste is remarkably smooth, quiet building juniper, a touch of earthy notes with bright spicy coriander and hints of lime. Finish is slightly warm, but never burning, smooth. Medium length juniper and citrus finish. Nicely balanced.

Mixing:
Juniper comes out brightly and dominant in classics such as a gin and tonic. Highly recommend this for summer G&T’s for lovers of classic style gins. I was equally as impressed with its presentation in several other drinks. Makes for a very smooth, very pleasant martini. The bright citrus and coriander notes stand out, and is very easy to drink. It was a little overpowered in the Negroni. Would have loved a dash more strength so that the juniper notes rose above the Vermouth and Campari. But these three drinks tell the story of Denver Dry Gin: smooth, nice flavor, a well made classic gin, but one that works best in drinks where gin is up front and starring. Give me Gimlets, Martinis, Martinez, any of those variations on the Martini put up in Slate’s bracket, or even sip it neat [though I understand if that's mostly a gin writer thing]. It’s a good gin. But put up against strong ingredients like absinthe, or Campari and it gets pushed to the background a bit.

Feelings:
Overall, I’m thoroughly impressed with Denver Dry Gin. It is one of the nicest classic style gins I’ve had that has come out of the craft distilling explosion in the states. Fans of classic gin should seek this out as there are few better and few more “truly classic” options out there among U.S. craft distillers. Folks who are not such a big fan of the Beefeaters and Gordons of the world will know exactly what they are getting with this gin and are advised to look elsewhere.

I’d change very little about what I think is an otherwise superb spirit. My only thought would be a touch more strength [maybe 90 proof? 94 proof] might give it the edge to become a five star spirit, if the same smoothness can be maintained at a higher strength. But overall, highly recommended.

And all of this without ever mentioning once that the price is extremely good compared to the quality of the drink.

Price: $20/ 750 mL
Origin:  Colorado
Best consumed:  A gin that works well as a classic gin and works well in nearly any drink. In drinks which use only a small bit of gin, can be overpowered as it is only 40%.
Availability: At Mile High Distillery in Denver
Website: http://www.privatebranddistilling.com
Rating: Excellent and well made gin which will thrill all those in search of a nice classic style gin being made in the United States.
****½ (4.5/5)

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Gordon’s Gin hasn’t been reviewed yet? The world’s best selling brand of gin? It’s been around since the late 18th century, so the odds are if you consider yourself a good Victorian or American Transcendentalist, Gordon’s was already old enough to be your grandfather.

Odds are you’ve seen it. And if you’ve ever sought out cheap gin, you know it.

But I’ve never reviewed it. So let’s take a look at Gordon’s. Purportedly the best bargain in gin.

Nose/Taste
The nose is quieter than I remembered it being. Citrus, primarily lemon and a good deal of juniper. Not quite overwhelming, and not off putting. I think it smells exactly as a London Dry Gin should. Good, solid, strong, traditional. Just the way we like it.

The taste is sharp. There’s a slight acidic tang, and lots and lots of juniper. Bright, spicy, and a citrus note. Less defined than on the nose, almost like coriander here. The palette dances with lots of juniper. Yes, this would be that “pine trees on fire” taste that some find so unlikable. But classic London Dry drinkers won’t find anything with to complain about here. Sharp, bitter note as the gin finished with the dry sensation. Nice.

This is most definitely grandpa’s gin as grandpa drank it. Not a lot of depth in terms of flavor, but it does what it does and it does it well.

Mixing
This is where I thought that Gordon’s might really shine.

W/Tonic: Juniper comes through. Nice and classic. Predominantly juniper,  but more subtle than expected. Very drinkable, not overbearing in the slightest.

2:1 Martini: Well, I was experimenting a bit – especially given Gordon’s reputation for being strong and assertive. But this came out a bit disappointing. The juniper notes were overpowered and Gordon’s sulked silently into the night, overpowered by a little dry vermouth. I’d ease up a bit, maybe going 5:1 to taste the gin. But then again, Gordon’s is drinkable, but not as smooth as other gins. I’m not sure that I found a sweet spot with Gordon’s where the martini has a solid gin like character but also smooth enough. It lacked depth to appreciate in bigger ratios, and it lacked punch in the smaller ratios. I’d recommend looking elsewhere or for a higher strength of Gordon’s.

Negroni: Again, decent, but the juniper punch I like in a Negroni is absolutely overwhelmed. If I’m drinking a London Dry Gin [as I like to do] I expect to get that gin like character in the classic cocktails. Sadly, Gordon’s just quietly fades into the background without a fight.

Concluding On Gordon’s.
Overall, I found myself disappointed. Known as a bargain, I wasn’t expecting the smoothness of some more well known and more expensive gins. But I was looking for a bit more punch as a mixing agent. It’s more quiet than I remember it being. While it made a decent gin and tonic, it lacked the punch to assert itself in more complex cocktails.

It’s London Dry and a great deal. But it’s not doing much more for me. If I’m looking for a punchier London Dry Gin and have more than $15 dollars in my pocket, I’d look elsewhere. But in the <$15, bottom shelf category, I think this might be one of the best options there is.

Price: $11/ 750 mL
Origin:  United Kingdom
Best consumed:  Solid option for a gin and tonic. 
Availability: Worldwide and everywhere, although in differing strengths and in some regions slightly different formulations.
Website: http://www.gordons-gin.co.uk/
Rating: London dry with a punch, until you start mixing with it. If you’re going to stick to Gin and Tonics, a great option. But if you want to do some serious mixing, I suggest looking to other London Dry or Classic style gins. 
**~~~ (2/5)

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What do I drink for the Kentucky Derby?

I will leave you with the greatest gin related moment in Kentucky Derby moment in history. From the 1994 Derby a little horse by the name of Go For Gin* won the race.

*I don’t care that the name probably refers to cards and not the spirit. And neither should you. What are you doing reading footnotes on a blog? Don’t you have some cocktails to be making?**

**The Gin/Linguist Wife would like to point out that to “gin” also meant to liven things up. In research that, she also learned that horse trainers also used to put ginger in…places…on a horse to perk it up. Or live eels. Aren’t you glad you read the footnote of the footnote?

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If I told you that in terms of volume, 1/7th of your bottle of Cream Gin is actually cream, you might say I’m crazy. After all, there’s no hint as to where thick white color of cream might be.

Cream gin is the result of cold distillation with the cream as an actual botanical. And it’s cold, so the cream is never heated and therefore never denatures or does whatever weird flavor things that burnt milk is wont to do. A throwback to the Victorian Era, Master of Malt tells us.

Suffice to say, the folks at Master of Malt have been experimenting left and right in the last year or so, releasing gin after gin.

Although I’m lactose-intolerant [I don't think there's any lactose sneaking through...is there? should I be packing some dairy pills?] I’m rather excited about Cream Gin. Let’s get down to business.

So how about this meck*?
The nose is a bit vanilla, with hints of citrus, juniper, and alcohol. Not very hot in terms of the alcohol, but it gives off a certain rubbing alcohol smell. The vanilla/cream odor dominates, but nowhere near as loud as you might expect it to be.

The taste of the spirit neat doesn’t seem as non-traditional as you might be expecting. A hint of vanilla at first, then lots of juniper, some bright lemony citrus and spicy pepper and coriander. Nice and quite traditional in character. The creaminess on the nose comes in a bit later in the taste lingering on the finish with a bit of heat and more juniper. Traditional gin fans who might be put off by the very “out there” sounding name probably will find something to enjoy here. It’s good, and only slightly does the cream really alter the character.

I noticed with a little bit of water, the cream character reveals itself more dominantly.

How about some lushes in the lushery*?
When I talked about sipping it neat, I noticed that I really made it sound like this gin was a Beefeater or Tanqueray. Mixing is where the cream angle strongly presents itself. Since I sipped quite a bit of my sample pondering the notes neat, I didn’t have a ton left for cocktails. But my- with tonic water? You’re really beginning to taste the cream in here. The little bit of dilution really brings it out quite nicely. Still a good amount of juniper, but the creamy finish is amplified.

In terms of speculating a bit further, cocktails seem to really showcase this gin’s novel notes. Oddly, it tastes much more contemporary style in drinks. So although neat I was getting a lot of juniper, citrus and heat. With tonic? More cream and still a good amount of juniper.

Price: $65/ 700 mL
Origin:  United Kingdom
Best consumed:  Makes some nice cocktails. I think Martinis might be the best showcase for this, but I’m pleasantly surprised by how much the cream comes out when mixed. 
Availability: Master of Malt, and through them, both sides of the Atlantic.
Website: http://www.masterofmalt.com
Rating: A gin that takes a traditional profile and takes one step outside the box. If you’re a fan of traditional gin looking for a contemporary gin that still respects tradition, this might be the one to try. The only downside is that the cost is somewhat prohibitive, coming in well above most gins. 
[Rating: 3.5/5]

*I’m culling lower class Victorian slang from here.

  Lush:  An alcoholic drink.
  Lushery:  A place where a lush may be had.  A low public house or drinking den.
  Mecks:  Wine or spirits

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Another store brand tonic water you say?! Aren’t they all the same?

I wouldn’t be reviewing it if they were. There are some quite good ones, such as Whole Foods. And there are the really bad ones, such as Vintage.

Somewhere in the middle of those two is Mixer. It won’t be mistaken for a craft tonic water. But it gets the job done as many of the main brands like Canada Dry or Polar.

Mixer is a little less bitter than other tonic waters, even its American plastic bottle compatriots. Schweppes is probably twice as strong in terms of quinine. That’s not to say there’s none. There’s a hint of it, just a nice bitterness on the closing to compliment the gin.

It’s rather mild compared to other store tonics. Still sweet. The high fructose corn syrup sweetness is in here. Not a lot of depth in terms of flavor.

Sweet, but less sweet than other similar kinds. Bitter, but much less bitter than other similar ones.

I found Mixer tonic water to be a good tool for getting the job done, and at this price point it definitely works. I still think in the U.S. Schweppes might make the best <$2/liter tonic water. But Mixer is right there in the conversations. I can safely say if you get this, you’ll still be able to taste your gin.

Price: $1/Liter
Best consumed: Makes a decent gin and tonic without overpowering your gin.
Website: http://walmart.com
Availability: Wal*Mart
Rating: A decent tonic water among the throngs of store brand and generic tonic waters. 
**~~~ (2/5)

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	Awards from the Field
	Liberator Gin wins “best of class” and “best in show” at American Distilling Institute’s 7th annual judging. Aldi’s Gin wins silver medal at International Spirits Challenge 2013, beating some rather big names. Master of Malt’s Bathtub Gin wins two gold medals at 2013 International Spirits Awards.
	New Product Launches
	Beefeater Launches Burrough’s Reserve, a gently aged gin. Coming worldwide by the end of 2013. New Columbia Distillers are launching a summery take off their flagship Green Hat gin. The London Distillery releases Dodd’s Gin.
	Who Else Was Talking about Gin This Week?
	Good news for all those wanting to smell like gin, a kickstarter has successfully funded a line of fragrances which includes gin among other non-traditional scents. The Telegraph chronicles how gin has infiltrated British culture with 10 of the most well known examples. Gizmodo visits two of the best known gins where they are made. Sandra Lee shows Jimmy Fallon a gin and tonic made with grilled limes and a whole lot of bitters.
	Other Gin Reviews
	Chancery Dry Gin from Summer Fruit Cup Herno Navy Strength from Summer Fruit Cup Dry Fly Gin from The Gin is In Wigle Ginever from The Gin is In
	Quote of the Week
	“We feel this trend of putting a lot of garnish in your glass has probably finished…Consumers, and some bartenders, are getting carried away and putting a load of different garnishes into the glass, so the whole thing becomes a kind of salad and the flavour of the gin gets lost.” -Paco Receuro, brand manager for gin at Chivas. [source]

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