Barr Hill Gin

So this is me branching out: my first time on this site reviewing a spirit that isn't some form of whisky in its many iterations. And why am I doing this? Like climbing Everest, I'm going to give the simplest possible answer here: because it's there, by which I mean, this gin is present and in my collection, and it's interesting. I should contextualize here that often my ratings are based on where a particular spirit fits in with my experience of others of its kind, so if I'm reviewing a bourbon, I compare it to other bourbons I've had, keeping in my price range vs. quality. The reason this gin is currently in the house is that my wife, having seen them on Stanley Tucci's show/instagram or YouTube, wanted to try negronis. Generally, I always have whisky on hand at home, we usually have a handle of Tequila in the cabinet for when the wife is in the mood for margaritas, and there's often a little bit of spiced rum for buttered rum around the winter holidays. I usually don't keep gin or vodka around 1. because I'm not really a mixed drink guy and 2. on their own, vodka and gin don't hold a lot of interest for me. In fact, at the risk of turning readers against me, I tend to think of people who drink straight vodka as alcoholics or borderline, though maybe that's the pot calling the kettle black. In any case, my wife wanted to try making the negroni, and when looking up what gins made of the best negronis, Barr Hill popped up on the top 10. It wasn't number 1 or 2, but was further down on the list, but I had a history with this Barr Hill already. One long marathon night of conversation with my friend Andrew, he'd brought this over for his drink. He doesn't drink whisky and he wanted something clear so he'd purchased this and a bottle of grapefruit juice and while I sipped on Old Tub bourbon, he'd made these for himself. At the end of the night, there was maybe a third of the bottle left and he didn't take it with him. So, I tried it, and it was likely the most delicious gin I'd ever had. My verdict now is that it still is, but of course, I'm speaking as a guy who's only ever tasted Gordon's, Tanqueray, and Bombay Sapphire. So I'll admit my background with this particular spirit isn't extensive and if I care to indulge further, I might find something even better, however, I'm going to guess that with a community rating of 4.25 and a "expert" rating of 96, I'm not barking up the wrong tree and this one high-quality gin. Though when assessing the quality of a gin, what exactly does one look for? I'm sticking the the basics here, nose, palate, and finish, but are there other criteria? The initial smell is one of juniper and honeysuckle, which makes sense given it's made from juniper and raw honey, says so right on the bottle. It doesn't necessarily grow in complexity beyond that, but that's all right because the aroma is pleasant enough, and I'm not expecting it to develop with time in the glass (does gin do that?; experts on gin, help me out a bit...). On the palate you get citrus added to the juniper and honey and very little of any alcohol burn, and the finish has a lingering touch of spice, which makes it quite enjoyable in a way I've never quite enjoyed another gin. In fact, this is the first time I've ever been able to see why you might enjoy drinking gin straight or on the rocks. And while it makes a good negroni, I can't help think that in a negroni Gordon's serves just as well and this should be saved for special occasions when I'm in the mood to change it up and take something aside from whisky straight. Will it replace my love of whisky? Certainly not, but might it open me up to the world of gin? All I have to say is the door is cracked, and now I'm just waiting for further recommendations.

First taste neat from the neck pour of a freshly opened bottle. I'm on my way to making a nice gin sour to start my Sunday and it seemed like this might be a good match with fresh squeezed lemon juice, a bit of rich simple syrup and a couple dashes of Peychaud's. Along the way I figured I should give this a quick review. The sample was allowed to rest for several minutes before evaluation. Wow! This is different and very, very unexpected! The nose is delicate, floral, almost indescribable. I know this is made from honey, and I expect honey on the nose. But its really not there. I'm getting honeysuckle at night, just a whiff that's so delightful. There's a thread of juniper, some white pepper, hints of citrus that leans more towards orange and grapefruit than lemons or limes. Maybe there's a trace of lavender in there, too? On the palate I'm shocked that this is sweet. It's not at all what I'd expect from a gin. I"m not sure this will play well in a martini, but my imagination is running all over the place with fruit juices, tonic and soda. There's a vegetal note that I KNOW but I just can't name it. Green something. Sweet. There's some fresh pine, and a blush of honeycomb. There's some spiciness, but this leans far more towards sweet than dry. This COULD play well in a Negroni or a riff on one. And I imagine a gin & juice would be simply superb. This is really quite nice and very approachable. It's not a classic London Dry in any way. And for the most part its not a "New Gin" that's mostly juniper but with other botanicals. This is rich in both taste and mouthfeel and drives more towards an interpretation of genever without the maltiness. I like this a lot. I could easily drink this on ice. I'm going to enjoy seeing what kind of symbiosis it will forge with other ingredients. Recommended for the adventurous cocktail cosmonaut

Nose - strong juniper, coriander, black pepper, spicy herbal notes, honey, thyme, lavender, spruce, pine sap, anise, lime zest, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - spicy juniper, honey lemon cough drop, menthol, coriander, thyme, black pepper, lavender, ginger, pine, anise, pine, spruce, herbal and floral notes, spearmint, rose, lemon and lime zest, moderate alcohol bite, finishing long with spicy juniper, sweet honey, and rose flavors. For a more traditionally flavored gin, this one is really nice. The juniper aroma leaps from the glass; I can smell it halfway across the room. The spicy juniper transfers to the palate nicely, followed by an uncanny flavor resemblance to the mentholated Hall’s lemon honey cough drops. Overall, I really appreciate how robust and defined the nose and palate are. I think this is most comparable to the Botanist, and whether you like it more or less would depend on your affinity for the lemon honey menthol profile.

meh and more meh --- low in juniper, not nearly low enough in the honey thing like a classy flavored vodka fine for drinking straight on ice, does not work in any number of mixed drinks ... maybe add lemon or lime or something w no further sugar? no pepperiness, which is a plus for some, also no complexity if the awards and gold thingies are real and not industry-bogus backpatting, it is just dumbfounding imo

I’ve tried a few dozen gins by now - and this is without question the absolute best. With Fever Tree tonic and a twist of lime you’ll enjoy the finest G&T ever created (!) Not many gins can be enjoyed neat - but I encourage you to give it a try. Balance of juniper and sweet honey notes on the nose, creamy on the palate, and a lingering warm finish. It’s a little pricey - but honestly worth every penny. Cheers!

I was told this was voted the No. 1 American gin, so I was looking forward to sipping it neat. I thought the honey was an afterthought because it certainly wasn’t subtle! It actually leaves a sticky residue in the glass. The botanicals do impart a unique note and I detected the citrus notes with an aftertaste of anise. Not overly impressed so I guess I’ll stick to a drier gin.