Review: G'vine Gin

I've had this bottle of G'vine sitting around, taunting me, since almost last December. Frankly, it scared me. It was the unholy union of grape flowers (which bloom for about two weeks before becoming a fruit) and juniper, along with some other spices. UNNATURAL I TELL YOU!

As it was recently awarded a gold medal for taste, beating out all the other fine gins, I decided to make it a priority to taste it over this past weekend.

Take a whiff
A deep breath brings about a strong smell of Spring. The flower smell is strong and the overtones of Juniper and licorice come to the forefront. A little nutmeg and lime showed up too, but only for a second with the Juniper coming back to the front.

Take a drink
The four-times distillation process is rather evident as the first taste immediately feels clean. The botanicals quickly take over though and I didn't get as much grape flavor as I expected. Instead I found the Juniper to take hold and show off why they call this a gin and not a flavored vodka or some other type of drink. The Juniper flavor actually reminded me of Bulldog Gin, strong and proud and right in the front. When I made a martini out of it, the other major flavor that stood out all the way through the finish was the licorice. When I made it in to a Gimlet, I was able to better find the nutmeg and lime that I smelled earlier.

Take a bow
The bottom line is G'vine Gin is damned good. Not only will you be able to use it in your regular gin recipes to give them a new and unique taste, but you'll be able to come up with some other new recipes that can play to its strengths. Though I wasn't able to call it better than Hendrick's and so Hendrick's will remain my favorite, I can definitely see why some judges would rate it higher as it's uniqueness sets off the palate with a much stronger flavor profile and a longer finish.

I don't know that I would use this stuff on someone who is not already a gin drinker, I think it could set them off. Use a crossover gin like DH Krahn first, then blow them away with the G'vine.

G'vine Gin