Maker: Detroit City Distillery, Detroit, Michigan, USA
Style: London Dry
ABV: 44%
Michigan State Minimum: $35
Appearance: Crystal clear.
Nose: Juniper, iris root, citrus peel.
Palate: Full bodied. Alcohol and sweetness. Nothing else.
Finish: Juniper, orange, burn.
Mixed: Did fine in everything.
Parting words: There are two distilleries in the City of Detroit: Two James and Detroit City. The best way to describe the differences between the two (other than having different names, ownership and locations) is that Two James is a distillery with a bar and Detroit City is a bar with a distillery. The bar seems to be the driving force for DCD. All their spirits are meant to be mixed and are at their best when consumed that way. It’s a fun concept for a bar, but there’s little going on there to excite spirits enthusiasts.
There’s little going on in this gin to excite me either. There’s nothing wrong with it. It bears a resemblance to Beefeater and other big brand gins and performs as well as they do in cocktails. The problem is that this costs $35 and Beefeater costs $19. At $35 Railroad Gin is up against products like St. George’s gins or Hendrick’s. It can’t compete with either of those, even after adding a few extra bucks for the pleasure of supporting a local business. It’s not bad enough to slap with a “not recommended” so Railroad Gin is only mildly recommended.
Sipology 