Review: Newfoundland Seaweed Gin

ABV	40%
Aging	None
Recipe	Spirit, Dulse Seaweed, Juniper, and Savoury
Distiller	Newfoundland Distillery (Clarke's Beach, Newfoundland)

Newfoundland Distillery produces two gins, one focused on cloudberry (an inland flavor) and this one, focused on dulse seaweed (a maritime flavor) with some savoury and juniper as well. You often see gin loaded with multiple ingredients, but this is just about three simple and deep flavours.

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Review (2019)

• Batch: N/A

• Bottling Code: N/A

• Bottling Date: 2019

This is fairly marine in character, with sea-spray, sweet and oily grain spirit, and some juniper in the background. It’s probably the gin with the most seaside character that I’ve ever tasted – quite remarkable. It’s slightly sweet on the palate, and has a nice honeycomb character as well as a nice, delicate woodiness. The savoury is perfect, here. Spices come through quite richly at the end – slightly bitter spices like clove, with a light drying nature. It works a nice trick! Caramel comes through at the end too.

Works really well in cocktails, especially lighter gin cocktails where the marine character really pops (like, for instance, a cocktail made with basil, elderflower, soda, and a bit of lime).

Assessment: Highly recommended.

Value: High, if you like premium gins. $35 isn’t bad for that.

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Review: Newfoundland Cloudberry Gin

ABV	40%
Aging	None
Recipe	Spirit, Cloudberry, Juniper, and Savoury
Distiller	Newfoundland Distillery (Clarke's Beach, Newfoundland)

If you notice, most of Newfoundland’s products are centred around three ingredients, often with one local and unique ingredient - roses and kelp (their Rose & Gunpower rum), chaga mushrooms (their Chaga rum), dulse seaweed (their seaweed gin), or - in this case - cloudberries. Cloudberries grow in Newfoundland, and taste (I’m told) similar to a blackberry or raspberry and are a big delicacy in Scandinavia and fetch high prices. However, they aren’t widely cultivated. This gin is made with just three botanicals - juniper, savoury, and cloudberry. It’s rare to see a “bridge” in gin between the juniper and the brighter fruit character other than coriander, but savoury plays a really nice trick and it’s a very different play on traditional gin.

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Review (2019)

• Batch: N/A

• Bottling Code: N/A

• Bottling Date: 2019

There is a real woody-juniper nature to this one, reminding me more of juniper wood than the berries themselves. Big herbal characters blend into woody juniper and dense, dried mixed berry notes. Simple, clean, balanced, and elegant. Very well put together, and I like how the grain character comes through but it’s still a very clean spirit and I like the centrality of the herbal notes here – many gins are focused on citrus, spice, or juniper and not many venture this far into the herbal side of things. Savoury, also, is one of my favourite herbs…

The finish carries the herbal notes quite nicely, along with a bit more intense wood.rit.

Assessment: Highly recommended.

Value: High, if you like premium gins. $35 isn’t bad for that.

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Review: Shelter Point Hand Foraged Botanical Gin

ABV	46%
Aging	None
Recipe	100% Canadian Malted Barley
Distiller	Shelter Point (Vancouver Island, British Columbia)

Typically, distilleries release gins and vodkas before their whiskies - as they wait for the products to mature. Shelter Point did the opposite, only recently releasing their vodkas and gins even after their whiskies have been on the market for around 4 years. Shelter Point has been releasing terrific stuff of late, so I had high expectations for their gin.

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Review (2019)

• Batch: N/A

• Bottling Code: N/A

• Bottling Date: 2019

Immediately, this is quite nice! It has notes of nice bright and sharp notes- pine, honey, sharp coriander, a spicy wood character, and a bit of grain character. Other, complex notes too – like vanilla yoghurt, meyer lemon peel, mixed fresh herbs like thyme and marjoram, and freshly peeled oranges. The palate is full of spice and citrus – as one might expect – with a drying spicy character growing towards the finish.

I really like the mix of spices, citrus, and sharp distillate characteristic here. The grain character is big enough that it might be mistaken for a genever, which is a great thing in my books. It doesn’t reveal it’s full hand at once, but one card at a time as you nose and taste, with different cards coming on successive sips. Very well done. There is a real richness to it.

Assessment: Very Highly Recommended.

Value: Very good at $30.

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Review: Willibald Pink Gin

ABV	38.3%
Aging	Merlot and Pinot Noir Wine Casks; 1 year
Recipe	Triple distilled corn, rye, and barley with 6 botanicals
Distiller	Willibald (Ayr, Ontario)

Another aged gin from Willibald, but with a bit of a different take than their big, oaky, and spicy new-oak aged gin. This is a slightly different formulation, with a bit less caraway and cardamom so that the fruit and floral notes from the wine cask wouldn’t get lost. The wine casks are sourced mainly from Palantine Hills - the gin also has a bit of honey (from the Willibald farm) added to it to round out the drink and give a slight sweetness.

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Review (2019)

• Batch: N/A

• Bottling Date: 2019

• Bottling Code: N/A

Awesome! Nice licorice notes, intense juniper, baked arugula, berries, wildflower honey, and light oxidized wine. Not as oaky or quite as big as Willibald’s typical gin, but it still has the big spicy richness. The wine character is there, but it’s light. Slightly sweet on the palate, resulting in a bit of a different experience – and perhaps one which makes it even more drinkable: it is relatively soft, complex, and lightly sweet with more subtlety rather than big and bold, like the usual Willibald gin which is big, oaky, spicy, and rich. It is very much in the Willibald “family” (which I always appreciate from a brand) but it is a very different take, and a very good one. Worth a try, especially if you like bigger gins. Great on ice, too.

It isn’t as versatile as some gins in cocktails due to its bold character, which is fine because I think this is best drunk neat or a little chilled. Interestingly enough, if it’s too chilled I find the wine character dominates. Both Willibald gins have some of the best reception of any gins that I pour during whisky tastings to whisky enthusiasts and connoisseurs.

Assessment: Very highly recommended.

Value: High. I have no problem laying down $40 for this, as someone who isn’t eager to spend too much on spirits - in fact, it will likely become a regular occurrence.

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Review: Last Straw Distillery Golden Gin

Image copyright by Last Straw Distillery Corp. Used with Permission.

ABV	44%
Aging	Charred Oak Casks
Recipe	N/A
Distiller	Last Straw (Vaughan, Ontario)

A limited edition aged gin from Last straw, who also produce a standard Gin twenty-one, reviewed here.

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Review (2019)

• Batch: N/A

• Bottling Code: N/A

• Bottling Date: 2019

There is some real nice caramel to this, and some dense toasted oak, juniper, and loads of spice notes like coriander and toasted cumin. It really is quite nice as a sipper – I like this more than the standard gin, but it isn’t too oaky to fit into most gin or brandy cocktails. The oak character is nice and big, but not overpowering – and it has retained a nice lightness. It is another aged gin which has quite nicely bridged gin with a decently big oaky character, which is hard to find. Although, perhaps it should not be surprising coming from distilleries with a big passion for whisky. If it isn’t obvious from the review above, the woodiness here fits in very well with the juniper and the spices.

Whisky is my favourite spirit, and gin is probably second (some rums beat out gins, but on average, gins beat out rums for me). I wonder if gin “purists” would like this as much as me, given my liking of wood influence in aging.

I actually really like this in a gin and soda (a favourite cocktail of mine due to simplicity, lack of sweetness, and the refreshing character). The wood character works really well, and there is tons of subtle complexity. It’s really good just over ice, too.

Assessment: Highly Recommended.

$45 at Last Straw Distillery or on their online shop.

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Review: Black Fox Oaked Gin

ABV	42%
Aging	6-8 months, American oak
Recipe	100% triticale spirit with botanicals
Distiller	Black Fox (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)

This aged gin is sold as a single barrel product. The gin has a bit of a bigger profile, particularly with more anise, than the other Black Fox gins - this gives it a bit more body to balance out the oak. The distillery releases about 20 casks of this per year.

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Review (2019)

• Batch:

• Bottling Date: 2019

• Bottling Code: N/A

The wood comes off initially – vanilla, caramel, dry white oak – but behind it we have spice, cucumber, sawdust, juniper, leather, and cinnamon. The palate has nice sharp spice, citrus, and floral characteristics embraced by sweet woody notes, vanilla, and structured with light wood tannins. Very nice! The finish has a bit more cucumber, caraway, dried floral notes, and almost a marshmallow-type wood characteristic.

For whisky enthusiasts, you might notice characteristics of a nicely toasted cask here – specifically the toasted, not charred wood characteristics. Excellent!

A very nice aged gin. It’s one that I like to sip neat. It’s good chilled – some of the complexity is lost and the woody notes come out at the core. Still quite good chilled, but I’d take this neat so as not to lost all the complexity and balance.

Assessment: Very Highly Recommended.

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Review: Black Fox Cucumber Gin #7

ABV	42%
Aging	Not Aged
Recipe	100% Triticale Whisky with botanicals and cucumbers
Distiller	Black Fox (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)

Whole cucumbers are added to the gin after it is finished to macerate in flavor and colour. Once the gin is finished, the used cucumbers are used in the production of the next batch of gin. The recipe is distinct from their dry gin and aged gin, to appropriately surround the cucumber notes.

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Review (2019)

• Batch:

• Bottling Date: 2019

• Bottling Code: N/A

The nose is very rich in cucumber – it takes me to peeling field cucumbers. It reminds me particularly of sharp, slightly bitter cucumber peel rather than cucumber flesh. The palate is spicy, with cucumber at the centre and coriander spice surrounding it, alongside white pepper and a slight drying nature. There is a touch of cucumber peel bitterness in the palate which I actually really like. Caraway, quite brilliantly, comes out in the big finish. It’s a bit soapy – perhaps a combination of the cucumber and coriander, reminding me of some natural soap shops (not a bad thing). The cucumber on the finish is enduring.

I find the herbal notes are quite prominent, and at times too much – this sometimes smells a bit like the crisper section of my fridge when herbs have been in there a bit too long. This is not always to my liking, when sipped neat. But, chilled or in a cocktail these notes are lost and the freshness of the gin really shines through. I tested this with friends and many of them didn’t make any such association, so it might be a fairly personal preference. When chilled, the cucumber notes really come out, so it does exactly what you would want in a cocktail. This is a cocktail gin for me, not a sipping gin (as most gins are). As suggested, it works great in a gin & tonic or with ginger ale.

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Review: Black Fox Dry Gin #3

ABV	42%
Aging	Not Aged
Recipe	100% triticale with botanicals
Distiller	Black Fox (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)

This gin is the basic dry gin from Black Fox, designed as a martini gin - and it certainly works very well in a Martini (as in a honey gimlet). It is made with 15 different botanicals including Calendula flowers and rhubarb from the Black Fox farm. Also, an amazing bottle - they use the glass stoppers like Shelter Point does. The base for the spirit is Black Fox’s tasty triticale spirit which is spicy and fruity, and gives the gin good depth.

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Review (2019)

• Batch:

• Bottling Date: 2019

• Bottling Code: N/A

The nose is deep, with a nice contrast of flavours to it – slightly sweet, slightly floral, slightly spicy.  The bottle, also, is beautiful. Orange and rhubarb play off a slightly tangy sweetness (similar to yoghurt – this doesn’t smell like yoghurt; but the tangy/sweet characteristic is analogous to it), with a rich spice backbone that is quite woody like cloves and cinnamon. The palate is big, rich with floral notes (violet and chamomile) again contrasting woody spices. This is held together by a clean, slightly sweet spirit which isn’t lost either – quite excellent! The finish is sweet, spicy, and lightly tannic. The notes start with citrus and floral characteristics, but fade slowly to lightly grainy, woody, and sharp spice notes. Awesome!

When chilled, this retains the sweetness and the spice, which makes it for a kick-ass martini gin (as advertised). I do love the woodiness of the spices – these are not lost amidst being chilled. Similarly, in a pink gin or a gin & soda, this has a great character – so this is a premium mixer, too.

Assessment: Very Highly Recommended.

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Review: Schramm Organic Canadian Dry Gin

ABV	44.8%
Aging	None
Recipe	100% Potato Spirit, Organic Herbs & Botanicals
Distillery	Pemberton Distillery (Pemberton, BC)

This is a gin made from a base of distilled local potatoes, combined with juniper berries, coriander seed, orange peel, rosemary, angelica root, Ceylon cinnamon, rosehips and hops - all listed clearly on the label. I quite like how the ingredients are listed right on the label. It takes 18 pounds of potato to produce a single bottle of this!

The gin includes a very narrow hearts cut - only across 4 alcohol percentage points off the still - this was the best balance Pemberton could find between the heavier juniper and the lighter fruit notes.

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Review (2019)

• Batch: 45 (Distilled Feb 2019)

• Bottling Code: N/A

• Bottling Date: 2019

Rich juniper aromas, and an incredible wild sort of herbal and floral notes. It reminds me of certain blooming meadows, rich in a light mixed floral notes and sharp herbal notes. The hops come through, slightly – and they are awesome giving a real sharp character which contrasts with the cinnamon and dried orange. The juniper is strong, as I like it.  It’s a big gin, with a complex character. In the middle too, there is a flash of sweetness coming from the distillate, which isn’t lost – another big plus, for me, in gin. The finish has the juniper, earthiness, and a nice set of complex spices and woody notes.

I quite like the stuff. There is a light touch of earthiness too, I assume from the potatoes.

Chilled, the sharp vegetable character really shines through, along with the juniper. It is remarkable how strongly the flavours shine through, even chilled. It has a good voice in a cocktail, as I believe spirits should: this mixes well.

Assessment: Highly Recommended.

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Review: Willibald Gin

ABV	43%
Aging	6-8 Months; Virgin American Oak Char #4
Recipe	Triple distilled corn, rye, and barley with 6 botanicals
Distiller	Willibald (Ayr, Ontario)

This gin stands out to me for a few reasons. First, it’s the flagship gin of the distillery and it’s aged - they don’t even have a white version. Most distilleries focus on a clear, unaged version and then age it or create variations - not so here. It’s different to craft a gin to be aged in a barrel rather than bottled as a white spirit. Second, it’s made from three different grains - corn, rye, and barley - rather than a simple grain spirit. Third, they are using new oak, not used oak - not something that I’ve ever seen in Canadian gin yet - it brings in an intensity to the gin and not simply a complex subtlety. Fourth - it’s big and bold, which lets it remain a gin but compete a bit more fully in other cocktails.

It might not surprise you to know that the distillery is heavily influenced by American straight ryes and bourbons.

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Review (2019)

• Batch:

• Bottling Date: 2019

• Bottling Code: N/A

The nose is very deep for a gin, perhaps due to the age of the stuff. There is a nice matching of oak to juniper, of sharp spice like fennel and earthy coriander to the bright citrus. I must say, it’s a rather impressive nose. The palate is rich in its woodiness – but the remarkable feat is that the woodiness balances all the botanicals, adds great grip, and great tannins. There is a nice bit of vanilla and sharp woody spices, earl grey, clove, and licorice at the end, and something like anise. Really nice finish, intense, and smooth – and very easy to drink!

 A bit elegant, almost some earl grey in there at the end. I really like to sip this one – it is very moreish. I like to sip gins, but this one is unique – it’s one I’m often in the mood for unlike many gins, which are much more occasional. Makes a great pink gin, too.

A highlight in my exploration of Canadian gins. It’s an aged gin that reveals that these aged gins have some great potential.

Assessment: Very highly recommended.

Value: High. I have no problem laying down $45 for this, as someone who isn’t eager to spend too much on spirits - in fact, it will likely become a regular occurence.

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