In September, I had the opportunity to attend GinWorld, a week-long series of gin-related events in St Louis, Missouri. Why St. Louis, you ask? That’s where Natasha Bahrami, a.k.a. @thegingirl lives and runs a gin bar , offering hundreds of gins, tastings, and educational seminars. Her love and knowledge of gin is incredible and inspired her to launch the extravaganza that is GinWorld. Over the week, I went to multiple tastings, attended a seminar on Mexican gins, learned from an amazing panel of master distillers, met and talked with distillers, and tasted at least 100 gins. I had the chance to discover new and new-to-me gins, and revisit others I hadn’t tried in quite some time. This post will concentrate on my three favorite new finds – it was really hard to narrow down. Go out and buy these – you won’t regret it!
ARC gins by Full Circle Distillers:
When I say Matthew and Laurie Westfall are making some of the best gin I’ve tried in a long time, you know it’s incredible. This gin is from the Philippines, and the owners/distillers are doing everything they can to honor their home by telling its story through the use of local botanicals. ARC Botanical Gin uses 28 total botanicals, 22 of which are locally foraged; and about half of those are fresh (!). The flavors are truly beautiful and unique including pomelo, dalandan, calamansi, ylang-ylang, and many others that I had never heard of, like sampaguita (native jasmine) and camia (white ginger) blossoms. Although botanicals are what make gin, usually when I see “botanical” in the name of the gin, I worry that I will have to search for the juniper; but it’s there and is gorgeously balanced. The gin is crisp with a touch of sweetness, has a beautiful nose and a lasting mouthfeel and finish. The Westfalls (who are lovely people) also barrel age this gin in new American oak with a medium long toast, adding to the complexity and flavor. This gin was recently picked up for representation by Preiss Imports, so I’m hoping for wide US distribution soon. (Hurry, Henry, hurry!)
Lifted Spirits in Kansas City, Missouri, was founded in 2016 by Michael Stuckey, and recently named the best gin distillery in Missouri by the New York International Spirits Competition. I had the pleasure of getting to know both Michael and Derrick Neuner, the COO. Not just great guys – their passion around distilling, creating, and putting products out they are proud of was truly exciting. Michael is a spirits historian, diving deep into into the past, looking for recipes and inspiration. The team offers three gins in newly re-branded super groovy bottles aptly named Bright, Bold, and Supernova. Bright (40% ABV) will wake up your palate – crisp, clean, citrusy from the fresh orange zest with lovely sweetness from the hibiscus, cardamom, and chamomile. Makes me think of sunshine, a great patio and cocktails with friends. Bold takes you deeper (45%) and makes you commit! Dark fruits and juniper come through to satisfy your sassy side, also tickle your sweet side with lavender and rose hip. Supernova is a gorgeous slam dunk at 57.1% ABV, bursting with juniper and warming spices. This is the most balanced overproof gin I’ve ever had – strong, yet smells and drinks so approachably. Definitely my favorite of the three, but the Lifted Spirits trio offers something for every discerning drinker.
It’s hard to know where to begin with this team– so many good things to say! Located in Montpelier, Vermont, this environmentally conscious distillery was co-founded by a beekeeper, Todd Hardie and a distiller, Ryan Christiansen. While many gins boast countless botanicals, Barr Hill Gin has one – juniper. But with the addition of raw honey (3 lbs to make each 750 ml bottle!), Ryan asserts that their gin has countless botanicals, all foraged naturally by the honeybees. The result is delicious. The gin, at 45% ABV, has honey on the nose, and a lovely sweetness and floral expression on the palate, with a strong juniper finish that balances the taste. They take that same gin and age it in new American oak for 6 months, bottled as Barr Hill Tom Cat gin. The barrels deliver exquisite warming spices to the mix, adding to the complexity. While you can absolutely use this gin in a cocktail, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t just savor it neat.
Cheers!
