Herno Distillery Tasting Notes

Herno London Dry Gin 40.5%

Tasted: Nov 2016

Nose: A big hit of juniper, sweet rose petals, cardamom and citrus. Lovely intensity with some subtle barky spice notes.

Palate: Very juniper orientated but intense and fresh with a touch of citrus, orris, cinnamon sticks and cassia bark.

Finish: Long and citric with lingering orange/ lemon peel and spice.

Conclusion: Complex And well balanced. Great, tongue tingling finish.

Herno London Dry Gin 40.5%

Re-Tasted: Apr 2018

Intense, slightly dusty and bitter cassia, juniper and hints of elderflower, bog myrtle and mint tea leaf. With time the herbal, foresty notes appear along with an underlying, slightly oily spirit character. Very complex.

The palate is full and lightly oiled with sweet and bitter juniper, cassia and hints of elderflower, bog myrtle and orange. Like the nose it displays a lovely foresty intensity and a long juniper, cassia, cinnamon and pepper finish.

Herno Navy Strength Gin 57%

Tasted: Nov 2016

Nose: Fresh, citric and junipery with a touch of cereal spirit beneath. Balanced with lemon verbena, coriander, cassia and perfumed juniper.

Palate: Soft and surprisingly not overly alcoholic when tasted neat. Juniper, lemon, cardamom, coriander, cassia and elderflower.

Finish: Very intense and lemony. Mouth-watering with lingering juniper and elderflower.

Conclusion: Superb! The alcohol is amazingly well integrated and the complexity is off the scale!

Herno Juniper Cask Gin 47%

Sweden, Matured for 30 days in 39.25-litre casks made from Juniper wood

Tasted: Dec 2016

Nose: Fresh and crisp, but astringent. Very junipery with earth, menthol and chlorine. The oak is so subtle it might not as well be there!

Palate: Fresh but watery with a touch of juniper but no real oak character.

Finish: Reasonably intense juniper finish.

Conclusion: Where’s the oak?

Herno Juniper Cask Gin 47%

Re-Tasted: Apr 2018

The nose is very oily and flattened by the oak. Very subtle juniper, lemon balm, sweet non-descript spice and vanilla.

The palate is oily and shows a greater degree of pungent juniper character. Hints of cassia, bitter tannin and lemon follow. The oak is subtler and thus the palate shows a better balance. Good length with liquorice, spice, pepper and lingering juniper.

Oss Craft Distillery Tasting Notes

Bareksten Botanical Gin 46%

Distilled at the Oss Craft Distillery in Norway from Potatoes

Batch 0018/0757

Botanicals: Juniper, coriander, blueberries, grains of paradise, cardamom, angelica root. nutmeg, rose root, lemon peel, orris, rhubarb, lime peel, lavender, orange peel, chamomile, fennel, cinnamon, caraway, aniseed, red clover, lingonberries, elderflower,mint, arnica flowers, rose flowers.

Tasted: Nov 2017

Intense, but very fresh, slightly bitter juniper with pine-like notes, rose, berries, earth, bark, cinnamon and a subtle floral note. The citrus and salt sit in the background adding to the freshness.

The palate is full and slightly starchy with sweet juniper, orange, fern/ pine along with woody/ bitter spice notes. Hints of caraway, aniseed, cardamom and earth come through on the middle along with a subtle berry note. Long, wild and spicy finish with lingering bitter juniper.

Braunstein Distillery Tasting Notes

Isfjord Premium Arctic Gin 44%

Botanicals: juniper, lemon grass, angelica root, coriander, cardamom, lemon and orange peel, lavender flowers, rose blade, ginger, liquorice root and sandalwood.

Tasted: Oct 2017

The aromas are fairly heavy and resiny, reminiscent of pine sap. Hints of juniper, lemon grass and subtle, but bitter spices. There is a slight floral edge, which is probably the lavender and hints of wheaty spirit.

The palate displays a good intensity of wheaty spirit with a fresh, citrus edge with again a pine needle-like character and hints of orange, juniper and subtle sweet coriander and what seems like caraway. Good intensity with some sweeter juniper coming through on the finish, along with some bitter sandalwood.

Oslo Handverksdetilleir, Norway Tasting Notes

Vidda Torr Gin 43%

Botanicals include: Juniper, heather, yarrow, chamomile flower, bilberry, angelica root, meadowsweet, sorrel, calamus root, elderflower and pine shoots.

Tasted: July 2016

Glacial fresh aromas of intense juniper with hints of pine and elderflower. There is a slightly oily spirit character which balances and with time a light floral/ heather-like note appears.

The palate displays a lot more lightly oiled cereal character and thus isn’t as fresh as the nose would suggest. It’s also more piney and herbal with the juniper being a lot subtler. Quite floral on the middle. Long and continuing herbal with a touch of angelica root and the alcohol giving it a bit of a bite.

Smogen Distillery Tasting Notes

Strane London Dry Gin Merchant Strength 47.4%

Blended from 3 differently distilled gins. One juniper, one citrusy and one herbal.

Botanicals  include juniper berries, coriander seeds, lemon/ lime rind, almonds, basil, garden mint, sage, cinnamon bark, liquorice root and then two further ’secret’ botanicals.

Tasted: Oct 2014

Powerful and intense aromas with no shortage of juniper and citrus. Lemon and orange peel mingle with a slight clotted cream note. With time some light spices emerge along with a touch of angelica and cardamom and mint.

The palate is quite intense and a little sherbet. However some serious sharp citrus balances. It’s jam packed with juniper, plus hints of spice and mint. Again pretty alcoholic with a good length filled with sweet coriander, cinnamon and sugar coated citrus peel. Whoa! That’s a powerful gin!

A drop of water brings out the sugar coated citrus and a slight smokiness on the nose. On the palate it softens and sweetens. The juniper has become quite perfumed. However it still retains a surbe intensity and character with the sweet citrus lingering.

Strane London Dry Gin Navy Strength 57.1%

Tasted: Mar 2015

A very citrusy and junipery nose, which makes it feel like an amplified version of the Merchant Strength bottling. Softly spiced with coriander, cassia bark, liquorice and hints of leafy herbs.

The palate is soft and oily. The citrus is a little subdued but the palate show a greater degree of sweetness. Again quite juniper heavy with dusty coriander, orris root and cassia bark. A touch of elderflower and lemon comes through on the middle. Long with the drier spices notes showing, but the sweetness continues all the way through.

A drop of water makes the aromas oilier and spicier but less citric. Likewise on the palate although it brings out a light vanilla and orange rind note.

Strane London Dry Gin ‘Uncut’ 75.3%

Tasted: Feb 2015

A big hit of slightly sweet juniper along with lemon and mint. Very intense, which isn’t a surprise given the abv and although there is a slight alcohol prickle there is not as much as you would have expected. The spirit has loads of warm character and a slight earthiness.

Dry and powerful on the palate, opening with the gently sweetened juniper, lemon and lots of alcohol! It has a lovely sweet/ sour balance and a long, lightly creamy almond finish and lingering citrus.

With water the nose is fresher and displays more of the citrus character. Still very intense with a slight smokiness and hints of almond and cinnamon now. The palate is fuller, a little oilier and nuttier with plenty of herbal juniper and a sweetly spice lemon sorbet finish.

Strane London Dry Gin ‘Uncut’ Batch 2 76%

Tasted: Oct 2015

A fresh and citric nose. Orange/ lemon rind, sweet-ish juniper with some underlying warm cinnamon, cardamom and coriander. Definitely more citric in character than batch 1. There is a slight alcohol prickle but the sweet citrus balances.

The palate is sweet and citric – lemon, lime, mint and sweet juniper with hints of liquorice, coriander and a slight earthiness. Very intense and alcoholic (surprise!). Long, slightly sour fruit finish with a little bitter almond and bark on the finish.

Dilution doesn’t make much of a change to the nose; maybe it intensifies the juniper a little. On the palate it has become softer with a little more spirit character showing. Possibly a little spicier but still there’s still plenty of juniper and citrus.

Strane Oak Aged Gin 55%

Aged for over a year in ex-Smogen Sherry casks

Tasted: Sept 2016

Fresh and citric with lemon, juniper, sage, cinnamon, liquorice and coriander seed notes. The oak is quite subtle in character and adds a little vanilla and dried fruit sweetness. There is also a touch of burnt spice and smoke along with a gentle medicinal note.

The palate shows a little more oak (dried sherry fruit) and medicinal herbs but is still very well balanced. Hints of lemon, lime, juniper and menthol come through along with a lovely degree of spices on the middle. Long and citric with the juniper returning and lingering subtle vanilla, burnt spice and smoke.

 

Spirit of Hven Distillery Tasting Notes

Spirit of Hven Organic Gin 40%

A handcrafted gin from the Swedish island of Hven, situated in the Öresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden. It is an organic wheat gin that is both pot distilled and oak matured with botanicals such as juniper, grains of paradise, citrus, Sichuan pepper, aniseed, and guinea pepper.

Tasted: Feb 2014

Oily aromas of orange peel, soft juniper and a touch of smoke. With time a light botanical note freshens.  

The palate seems a little underpowered with soft, sugar coated citrus peel and hints of juniper and bitter spices. Good length with a slightly soapy juniper finish. Conclusion: Distinctly average.