This is my first review for Gentleman’s Cabinet, and you will notice that I don’t do much research on expected flavours prior to tasting. I want to figure out what is in a drink, and let you know what I think. I would more call my writings ‘thoughts’ rather than a review.
First of all, you may be wondering what is a gin review doing on a site that is dominated by the word ‘whisky’? Good question. My answer? This gin is unbelievable and worthy of a review. And also (don’t tell Pete), I am a gin man first, and a malt whisky man second (very close second!)
This gin automatically gets a high rating in my book as it is made right here in Australia, The West Winds distillery is run by an obviously skilled team down in Margaret River, south of Perth. A place, since my first sip, that has gone right to the top of my ‘to visit’ list.
I have been looking forward to trying gin coming from The West Winds crew since reading about the many awards they have been winning while I was working in a bar in Scotland. I haven’t been disappointed.
The first thing I noticed was the thick-coating mouth-feel this gin has. I imbibed with a 1:2 ratio of gin:tonic and a squeeze of fresh lemon wedge. This gin was really singing with just a tiny sip. My mouth was awash with thick, creamy well-rounded flavours. Very pleasant lemon myrtle, and also a slight citrus peel flavour, that reminded me of the old high school trick of squeezing an orange or mandarin peel into your friends face, like a single use pepper spray.
The finish has a smooth-bitterness with a twist of coriander, leaving your mouth watering for another taste.
Next I tried the gin on its own over ice. Without any tonic, there is an intense coriander-pepper note on the nose. This will now be the third time I’ve said it, but this gin is super creamy-thick, which is my favourite thing about it. On its own, the gin has a nice seeded spice to it as well as intensified versions of previous flavours. On the way done it is super smooth and is pleasantly warming right to the big ol’ belly.
A fantastic gin, with so much depth and complexity. I only wish I wasn’t having heavy dental work done currently that hinders me from smoking, as I think this gin would’ve paired well with a nice earthy-peppery non-cuban cigar, such as anything coming from Tatuaje.
In summary:
Nose: Coriander and some pepper, and a slight citrus waft. I could honestly smell this gin all day
Mouth-feel: You really want me to say it again? Fine, I will. It is thick, creamy, coating, invigorating and inviting.
On the palate: Rounded citrus peel, balanced by the juniper and lemon myrtle, and a nice seeded spice kick
Finish: Lovely, slightly dry bitterness, but leaves that lingering creamy feeling at the back of the tongue
Accompanying tracks: While tasting I was listening to ‘Possessed by Paul James’, one of my new favourite blue-grassy type bands.
Written by Lex Getley
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