Maker: New Holland, Holland, Michigan, USA
ABV: 42.5%
Neat
Appearance: Crystal clear with pearl necklace-ing.
Nose: Sweet, a little rough. Citron, anise, a touch of horehound and eucalyptus, a hint of juniper.
On the palate: Full-bodied, but light in flavor. Water brings out the juniper in a big way. The sweet old-fashioned stick-candy flavors are there too: licorice, horehound and bitter lemon.
Finish: Herbal and floral neat, sweetness and candy with a splash of water.
Mixed
Tom Collins: Does very well. Adds depth to the drink without overwhelming it.
G & T: Does fine, but doesn’t particularly distinguish itself when mixed with good tonic. Ironically (or not) it seems to stand out more against supermarket brand tonic.
Bitter Lemon: Overwhelmed by the citrus flavors.
Dry Martini (w/Noilly Pratt): Adds a nice sweet note to balance the assertive herbaceousness of the vermouth. Brings a good amount of body too. As I reach The Olive Zone at the bottom of the glass, it stands up to the brine well. Knickerbocker would probably work even better in a perfect (½ dry vermouth, ½ sweet) martini, but unfortunately I didn’t think of that until the bottle was almost gone. I don’t remember this gin doing nearly this well in a martini the last time I bought it. If they tinkered with it in the recent past, they did a good job. Like Corair’s gin, this is a fine, if less ambitious, example of what micro-distillers can do well. Recommended.
Sipology 