New Generation Gins

[slkinsey]

Has anybody out west tried 209?

I reported on an initial tasting back upthread and wasn't impressed. Too much citrus, I thought, to the extent that it seemed a little artificial. Of course, it might be different in a drink.

[JerseyRED]

Received my first issue of Imbibe and there is also a small taste-test article on artisanal gins within the Jan/Feb 2007 issue (aside from Paul Clarke's write up on rye).

Rich

[jmfangio]

Has anybody out west tried 209?

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I love it - I think it makes a great martini, and the botanical profile works really well in a Last Word.

[Gary Regan]

Proud to say that I was at the Plymouth distillery last year, and I actually made a batch of gin in their lab. My first attempt ever at this and the gin that I made was . . . absolutely disastrous! God Bless Distillers.

I just wrote a gin piece for SF Chronicle. You can see it here:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...&sn=001&sc=1000

[slobhan]

I have to say that I re-kindled my interest in gin after a recent blind tasting. I love the freshness that citris & juniper deliver....

I beamed with pride when Bluecoat was so good and from Philly (my birthplace), I hope they get some broader distribution soon!

Do the FAA rules allow checking it? I'm going home for Super Bowl weekend (with no Birds in the game).

[KatieLoeb]

slobhan:

Not sure about checking a bottle of spirits on a plane. Heaven knows what that might look like going through the x-ray machine!

I'd suggest bubble wrap, lots of foam peanuts and a plain brown box getting shipped to your destination of choice. It works. Don't ask me how I know this...

The Bluecoat is damned good and I'm certain you'll love it. You should be able to find it in any number of bars here in Philly when you're in town. PM me if you need any suggestions.

[slobhan]

slobhan:

The Bluecoat is damned good and I'm certain you'll love it.

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Thanks, Katie, for the strategy about air travel. I re-read my message and it sounded like I haven't tried Bluecoat. I have been lucky enough to try it, once. The not-so-widespread blue bottle got an honoroable mention in the gin tasting in our current issue.

[BTR]

I've put spirits, and wine, in both checked and carried-on baggage (the latter before the liquid ban in the US), with no problems. Just make sure it's packaged in such a way that it won't break in transit.

[KatieLoeb]

slobhan:

The Bluecoat is damned good and I'm certain you'll love it.

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Thanks, Katie, for the strategy about air travel. I re-read my message and it sounded like I haven't tried Bluecoat. I have been lucky enough to try it, once. The not-so-widespread blue bottle got an honoroable mention in the gin tasting in our current issue.

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Cool. Not surprised it did so well in competition. I find it quite delicious and well balanced. I confess I'm not a lover of the juniper "piney-ness" in many gins, but love the citrus-forward flavor of the Bluecoat quite a bit.

[tkd7]

slobhan:

The Bluecoat is damned good and I'm certain you'll love it.

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Thanks, Katie, for the strategy about air travel. I re-read my message and it sounded like I haven't tried Bluecoat. I have been lucky enough to try it, once. The not-so-widespread blue bottle got an honoroable mention in the gin tasting in our current issue.

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Cool. Not surprised it did so well in competition. I find it quite delicious and well balanced. I confess I'm not a lover of the juniper "piney-ness" in many gins, but love the citrus-forward flavor of the Bluecoat quite a bit.

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I bought my first bottle of Bluecoat and I really liked it. I was in Philadelphia last Saturday for much shorter than planned but I stopped into the liquor store on Chestnut and bought two bottles. I made a martini last night and it really stood apart from gins like Ten and Hendrick's. I'm not a big citrus gin fan but the Bluecoat still had enough dry hints to make for a tasty martini. I'm looking forward to mixing it in other cocktails.

[KatieLoeb]

I have an idea for a Bluecoat-based cocktail, but I need to get my hands on a bottle of those Fee Lemon Bitters.

I'm going to call my local Fee Bros. connection tomorrow and see if they have the Lemon Bitters. Failing that, I'll call Fee Bros. directly and see if there are other local retailers I don't know about, or see if they have small samples for bar/restaurants that might be shipped.

[eas]

Have any of you tried the "Blue Gin" produced by Hans Reisetbauer? It's uncertain whether it will be imported into the US, though a few bottles made it here for an event in San Francisco last month. By my palate it's exceptionally dry and clean. And if you're going out of your way to find a Reisetbauer bottle, also check out his Carrot eau-de-vie.

[Bricktop]

My quest for Bluecoat ended today. One sip had me thinking I wanted my bottle of maraschino and a lemon. Good stuff.

[JAZ]

Just picked up a small bottle of Tanqueray's Rangpur, but I'm unsure what to do with it. I tend to prefer the juniper-heavy gins, but I wanted to give this a try. Has anyone had any great successes mixing this gin, or tried any good drinks with it?

[thirtyoneknots]

I saw Rangpur a week or two ago and wondered what exactly it was. Odd that Tanqueray would make another light juniper gin even with No. 10. If that's what it's like though, I'm partial to DrinkBoy's Bloomsbury. It's a tiny bit on the sweet side, but not so much to make it unsuitable for before dinner. The original recipe calls for Tanqueray 10, but I have had success with other lightly junipered gins like Bombay Sapphire and such.

Shame Tanqueray didn't see fit to bring back Malacca instead. Dr. Cocktail sez its the bomb diggity :-P

-Andy

Edited February 27, 2007 by thirtyoneknots (log)

[phlox]

I love love love Bluecoat! I like it over ice with a twist of lime. It's so smooth.

[jmfangio]

The NY Times features a gin tasting this week. Pretty good article, though I disagree with their sentiments on No. 209 gin, which I think makes a fabulous martini.

[slkinsey]

Great article! And great to see that they actually tasted a spirit intended for chilling and mixing, well... chilled and mixed. I'll have more to say on this once I have a few more minutes, but there's one thing that puzzles me. The author makes a point of mentioning the higher proof gins, noting that Old Raj comes in at 110 proof and then saying that "Tanqueray and Tanqueray No. 10 at 94.6 proof were the next highest." Except he forgot Junípero, which is 98.6 proof. This must be an error in his notes, because the ratings section has it at only 86 proof.

I was happy to see Plymouth and Junípero rated so highly, although I was surprised that Tanqueray wasn't more appealing. I was also quite surprised to see Old Raj rating so highly. I may have to try that one again.

[Nathan]

Great article!  And great to see that they actually tasted a spirit intended for chilling and mixing, well... chilled and mixed.  I'll have more to say on this once I have a few more minutes, but there's one thing that puzzles me.  The author makes a point of mentioning the higher proof gins, noting that Old Raj comes in at 110 proof and then saying that "Tanqueray and Tanqueray No. 10 at 94.6 proof were the next highest."  Except he forgot Junípero, which is 98.6 proof.  This must be an error in his notes, because the ratings section has it at only 86 proof.

I was happy to see Plymouth and Junípero rated so highly, although I was surprised that Tanqueray wasn't more appealing.  I was also quite surprised to see Old Raj rating so highly.  I may have to try that one again.

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yup. it was nicely done. they could have discussed the olive controversy and why "dirty" is bad...but that's nitpicking.

I completely agree with their sentiments on Junipero (which I rate more highly than Plymouth for martinis -- Plymouth is my general cocktail gin though)...and Old Raj. The thing about OR is that it's really only suitable for martinis..or even sipping neat (very chilled). It's flavor profile just wouldn't work in most gin cocktails....its very hard to balance with. But it's a great gin to contemplate...carefully....it comes on like a truck.

[eje]

The only ones which seem a little out of place in the top 10 are Seagram's and Bombay Sapphire. I'll admit, though, that I haven't tried either of them for a few years.

[jmfangio]

I don't think that I've ever had the Seagram's, but I'll give it a try. A recent Difford's Guide gave the Extra Dry 4 stars, and the Distiller's Reserve 4 1/2, and at only $12.99 for a fifth at my local BevMo it won't be all that expensive mistake if I don't like it.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite. For many years I was a devout Bombay Sapphire drinker, but as I've become more and more interested in cocktails and tried more gins, I've come to realize that a) it's not quite the bomb diggity that I used to think it was, and b) while Gin X might make a great martini, it fails in many gin based cocktails, and vice versa.

If I had to choose just one gin to keep it would probably be Plymouth, which to me is the best all rounder.

[gethin]

According to the Bluecoat Website, the gin is only available in PA and NJ for now.  However, the website might be a little behind the curve.

.

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Bluecoat was one of the gins at a tutored gin tasting I attended at the London Wine and Spirit Fair yesterday. Roberts Cassel , Bluecoats distiller, is attending the fair so hopefully this means Bluecoat going to be available here soon.

The other gins at the tasting were Beefeater, Hendricks, Tanqueray, Whitley Neil, Plymouth, Martin Millers Westbourne Strength and a strange blue gin which seems to be called "The London Gin" . This is apparently made by a former tea blender, has bergamot as one of the botanicals and has a distinct hint of Earl Grey tea about it . (I've never seen this gin before, but apparently its being distributed by Gonzalez Byass the sherry people ).

The gin that really stood out for me , among this collection of pretty distinctive gins, was the Martin Millers which had such a complex set of tastes ranging from parma violets to cucumber , as well as the more conventional citrus and juniper flavours.

gethin

[KatieLoeb]

Bluecoat was one of the gins at a tutored gin tasting I attended at the London Wine and Spirit Fair yesterday. Roberts Cassel , Bluecoats distiller, is attending the fair so hopefully this means Bluecoat going to be available here soon.

So did you like it? I've been using it quite a bit lately in more warm weather cocktails that have a citrusy component like Corpse Reviver #2 and the Strawberry Smash I've been making with muddled strawberries and tarragon syrup.

I really like the "old schooley-ness" of the Bluecoat, what with the copper pot distillation and the complex aromatics. I've met the distiller and the marketing guys at several events here in Philly and they're really nice folks that really believe in their product. The fact that it's local for me just gives it a little more cachet. Surprisingly a lot of folks here in Philly aren't familiar with it yet and since my restaurant is attached to a B & B I get a lot of out of town guests that are fascinated with it and end up buying a bottle to take home with them after I've made them a cocktail with it.

[tkd7]

I recently received a bottle of Gale Force Gin as a gift. It comes from Nantucket RI. It is a classic London Dry Gin at 88 proof. It is light on juniper and botanicals. It makes a nice dry martini, but doesn't mix well in other gin cocktails. I haven't seen it in the NY/NJ area, so I'm guessing it isn't widely distributed.

Edited May 27, 2007 by tkd7 (log)

[TallDrinkOfWater]

I've been really lame about posting notes to this thread lately -- I blame drinking.

Anyway, lately I've had the opportunity to try:

Blackwood's Vintage Dry

Love it as a martini gin. Has a lot of potential as a mixer, but not as a 1:1 drop-in for most traditional things. Needs some thought, and I've been experimenting, but since I only have 1 bottle and it's hard to come by, I've been a little conservative and have not developed any great invention yet Makes a fantastic G&T with Fever Tree Tonic; looking forward to trying it with Q as well.

Rogue Spirits Spruce Gin

First try tonight. Damn good. Again, not sure about mixing it yet; the cucumber, tangerine, and other notes are different enough that it's probably also not always a good 1:1 sub for "London dry gin" in many things. Might make an interesting and edgier variation on Hendricks in some drinks.

Aviation

Mixed feelings on this one. Damn good in an Improved Holland Gin Cocktail -- thank you David Wondrich for bringing the drink to my attention in your Killer Cocktails book -- but it's not particularly great otherwise. In my opinion of course. Even in its namesake cocktail, it falls flat; I did a blind tasting against Tanqueray and Bellringer and it failed badly, at least with my wife (and with me, though I knew which was which).

Bellringer

Bears mention not because it's a premium gin -- it's not -- but because it has become my "well" gin for mixed drinks after seeing Murray at Zig Zag in Seattle use it for such a purpose. It's more or less a good inexpensive replacement for Tanqueray in anything where gin nuances are otherwise lost; it's a decent standalone, but I'd never crave it.

Bluecoat

Thanks to Murray (again), I got to try this. Excellent, if a bit tame. I would use this to introduce non-gin-drinkers to gin martinis, much in the same way that Plymouth, Martin Miller's, and Van Gogh are good for that.

Bulldog

Ruff ruff!! I think I like it, but have been reluctant to delve too far into my one bottle. Kinda spicy, in a good way.

Cricket Club

An Oregon gin, this is very coriander-forward (interesting to compare to Sarticious, which is cilantro-forward...) Still developing an opinion. The juniper seems a bit muted. Probably bears developing unique recipes.