23rd Street Signature Gin

Nose: Sweetly floral and intense - rose, lavender, strawberry, raspberry, pink bubblegum (!). This is a singularly floral nose. Creeping from under the blanket of flowers comes a shy citrus character, and an even more reticent juniper companion. The citrus becomes more noticeable as you nose, and it too has a sweet floral profile, like mandarin blossoms. Palate: Much earthier than expected from the nose, led by juniper and root extracts with citrus peel notes arising later. The citrus is sweet, not bitter and balances the spice notes and juniper well. The texture is fine, but not particularly noteworthy. Finish: Medium/long. Juniper moves to the centre stage towards the finale, supported by citrus flavours, and they all take a long final bow. There is not the slightest hint of final bitterness. I confess I was pleasantly surprised by this gin. I've tasted a few products from 23rd Street Distillery now (they are located in Renmark which is about half way between Adelaide and Mildura). I've not been a big fan so far but this gin is certainly pleasant and has a confident and well-defined profile. It might just be enough to change my opinion. The sweetness on the nose is disarming for a moment, particularly when compared to more austere and reserved London Dry gins, but it does not take long to win you over with its exuberance. It's pleasant neat and works well in a G&T, but whether you team it with a very dry low-sugar tonic (maybe even a herbal tonic?) or go with the sweet flow and use a full-sugar robust old tonic like Schweppes Indian (an unfairly maligned and unfashionable product) is up to you. Is it worth the asking price. Meh - just. It's fair, but there are cheaper gins that better it. "Above Average" : 81/100 (3 stars)