Rutte Distillateurs Tasting Notes

Rutte Dry Gin 43%

Botanicals include: Juniper, coriander, angelica, orris root, cassia, bitter orange peel and fennel.

Batch1 Btl: Oct 2015/ Tasted: March 2016

The nose is quite full and wheaty with hints of juniper and plenty of fennel. Lightly citric with a touch of coriander seed and cassia bark.

Like the nose the palate is full and wheaty with very subtle botanical notes, opening with juniper and fennel. Hints of cassia, coriander seed and angelica appear on the middle. Long, slightly vanilla’d and wheaty finish with the dry, woody spices lingering.

Rutte Celery Gin 43%

Batch1 Btl: Oct 2015/ Tasted: March 2016

Quite citric and fresh on the nose with a distinct, slightly watery celery note. Fresher and less wheaty than the dry gin with hints of sweet juniper and a little soapiness.

Soft and citric on the palate with subtle celery and juniper. Again fresh with some gentle spices. Dry, slightly woody finish. Pleasant, but not as interesting as their dry gin. 

Rutte Old Simon Genever 35%

Botanicals include: Juniper Berries, Roasted Walnuts and Hazelnuts, Angelica Root, Coriander, Oris Root, Angelica Seed, Mace, Celery, Carob, Liquorice and fresh fruit.

Batch1 Btl: Oct 2015/ Tasted: March 2016

A pungent nose of malt-wine, biscuits and nutty notes. Hints of sweet barley develop with a hint of dusty spice. A very distinct Genever nose!

The palate is again quite malty with sweet barley and a lightly oiled wheat character. Hints of mace, walnut and sweet hazelnut appear on the middle. Long and nutty with hints of juniper and angelica in the finish. Slightly dry, woody after-taste.

Berry Brothers Tasting Notes

No3 London Dry Gin 46%

Distilled in Holland for Berry Bros

Botanicals: Italian Juniper, Spanish Orange Peel, Grapefruit, Moroccan Corriander, Angelica, Cardamom

Tasted: Aug 2015

A dense and oily nose with sweet orange, grapefruit and crisp juniper. Good intensity but there is a slight soapiness. Quite complex with subtle notes of pine, rose, angelica and coriander.

The palate is quite oily with the cardamom and coriander showing first, followed by sweet, but subtle juniper. Quite spicy on the middle. Lovely, tangy grapefruit finish with a slight nutty/ biscuity spirit note.

No3 London Dry Gin 46%

Re-Tasted: Dec

A pungent and smoky juniper nose with some dense and oily spirit character. Hints of smoky coriander spice, orange, grapefruit and angelica appear.

The palate is fresh, but oily and nutty with cardamom, coriander and subtle juniper. Slightly bitter on the middle with a touch of orange and grapefruit. Good, dry, tart and zingy finish.

Zuidam Tasting Notes

Zuidam Genever 35%

Tasted: Feb 2010

Pungent yet quite subtle. Oily cereal mingles with a touch of juniper and botanicals. Quite creamy and soft with the oak aging adding a noticeable vanilla character. The oak theme continues on to the palate and the subtle creamy cereal/ botanicals shows themselves on the middle. The vanilla thread continues as the grain gently nips on the finish.

Zuidam Young Grain Genever 35%

Triple distilled from a mash of malted barley, rye and corn. Fourth distillation with herbs and spices

Tasted: Nov 2014

Deep, lightly nutty and oily aromas with hints of corn, barley and warm vanilla. The aromas are more about the ‘spirit character’ but there are hints of juniper, citrus, herbs and a light rye spice.

The palate is full, nutty and buscuity. With plenty of corn, barley and vanilla notes. A touch of juniper comes through on the middle with a light bittering spice and citrus. Long with the spice notes lingering

Firmin Filliers Tasting Notes

Filliers Dry Gin 28 – Classic 46%

Originally created in 1928 by the Belgian Genever distillers Firmin Filliers. Filliers Dry Gin 28 also uses 28 botanicals in addition to juniper.

Fresh and intensely junipery. Quite earthy, natural and smoky with hints of citrus and vanilla. Well balanced.

The palate is lightly earthy, softer and subtler than the nose suggests with sweet citrus and floral juniper. Good length, if a little over flowery with the juniper lingering.  Conclusion: I loved the intensity of the nose but it didn’t follow through on to the palate.

Filliers Dry Gin 28 – Classic 46%

Re-Tasted: Oct 2014

Nose: Big and aromatic with a huge noseful of juniper! Intense citrus notes are balanced by an earthy spirit character. With time coriander seed, black pepper and fennel(?) notes appear.

Palate: Opens with sweet orange, lemon and sugar coated citrus rind. The juniper s fairly subtle. Gently, oily spirit notes come through with a touch of sweet spice.

Finish: Very long with the juniper coming back quite strongly. Lovely, dry woody spice finish and a sweet orange after-taste.

Conclusion: The abv gives it intensity and a punch but there is complexity in the spirit too.

Filliers Dry Gin 28 – Classic 46%

Re-Tasted: Mar 2017

The nose is quite full with an almost malty character. Subtly smoky juniper, earth, black pepper and subtle coriander spice.

The palate is fresher as the citrus is more noticeable and there is a lovely intensity of pepper and cassia bark along with again, subtly smoky juniper. Fills out well on the middle as the oils arrive and give it a sort of gin/ genever hybrid kind of feel. Good, dusty spice and citrus finish with just a touch of bitter bark notes.

Filliers Dry Gin 28 – Seasonal Tangerine Edition 43%

Crisp and slightly herbal to begin with on the nose with hints of juniper before the sweet tangerine notes make themselves known.

The palate is soft and a little flat with subtle tangerine and very subtle juniper. Slightly spicy on the middle. Good length with a slightly bitter finish and lingering sweet tangerine notes. Conclusion: A little straightforward but liqueur-like.

Filliers Dry Gin 28 – Seasonal Tangerine Edition 43%

Re-Tasted: Mar 2017

I’m still not a fan of this nose. The orange has a kind of plasticy feel to it and the juniper is practically unnoticeable.

The palate is earthy and dirty, again slightly plasticy, but showing more citrus and juniper. Quite a bitter finish. I’m still not a fan of the palate either!

Filliers Dry Gin 28 Pine Blossom 42.6%

Tasted: Oct 2014

Nose: Opens with a lovely, creamy spirit character. Quite earthy with an almost smoked meat note. With time it freshens as the juniper and citrus appears. In saying that the aromas are still very spirit dominated.

Palate: Soft and creamy with more noticeable juniper notes. Intense lemon notes freshen and a touch of angelica and light spice appears.

Finish: Good length with a soft herbal note and subtle, sweet cinnamon. Light cucumber after-taste.

Conclusion: The nose left me a bit cold it has to be said.

Filliers Old Grain Genever 15 year old Black Label 38.6%

Tasted: Oct 2014

Nose: Pungent and oaky – loads of grainy French oak. Sweetly mentholated with hints of oily dried fruit, coffee and chunky spices. The aromas definitely have an old grain whisky feel to them.

Palate: Soft and earthy with grainy oak and hints of dried fruit and liquorice. Again it resembles a mature grain whisky. Hints of mentholated herbs and spice.

Finish: very long with plenty of creamy, mature oak notes.

Conclusion: More of a similarity to an old grain whisky than gin, but very enjoyable.

Filliers Dry Gin 28 Barrel Aged 43.7%

Tasted: Oct 2014

Nose: Very subtle. Where’s the wood? Hints of juniper, mint, garden peas(?), vanilla and a light mentholated note are apparent. With time the oak does come through.

Palate: Again there isn’t a huge amount of oak character, maybe a touch of vanilla. Very subtle botanicals – juniper, coriander, orange and a touch of bitter spice.

Finish: medium length with lingering juniper and bittering oak.

Conclusion: Very subtle for a cask aged gin

Lucas Bols Tasting Notes

Damrak Amsterdam Original Gin 41.8%

Based on the recipe from one of the worlds oldest existing commercial distilleries in Amsterdam – Lucas Bols – A producer of Genever and Liqueurs’ since 1575. Five times distilled using 17 botanicals including juniper, citrus and honeysuckle

Tasted: Nov/ Dec 2013

The nose is very sweet. It smells more like and orange liqueur with hints of aniseed, juniper and bitter spices.  

Like the nose, the palate is very liqueur-like with extremely sweet, sugar coated orange and a touch of juniper but the orange dominates. Short and a bit bitter.