Blankenheym & Nolet Oude Genever

Aroma: Light, sweet spice and herbal aromas. Juniper, citrus, cardamom, cumin, orris root. Blanketing all this is the expected malty new-make whisky fragrance typical of genever. Palate: Sweet and very mildly spicy arrival. A host of seed spices (fennel, caraway), soft anise and a touch of pepper. There is a gentle touch of supporting vanilla, caramel and malt extract flavours. The texture is excellently rich and full. Finish: Medium/Long. Caramel, spice, vanilla and malt. This is a delicious oude genever, one of the best I’ve tried. It does not have the pine-aroma you detect in some others (Bols, for example) but that’s neither good nor bad, just a difference. It also does not have the brine note some genever shows. Overall this makes the nose sweet and cosy. The palate is silky and oily, which is typical, and again it veers towards sweetness with a distinct caramel tinge. Genever is often described as the “ancestor of gin” (which is true), but it is also a vibrant, contemporary spirit with more complexity than dry gin. Over the years I’ve been turning to it more and more and I now almost always have a bottle open in the bar. It is traditionally taken as a shot, but you ignore its use in cocktails at your peril. Remember that all of the old cocktails from the late 19th and early 20th centuries were based on genever (or Hollands Gin, as it was called) and not London dry. Try making a negroni or any other classic gin cocktail with genever and it just might change your life. I frequently use it in a G&T instead of gin, but yes I know that this might be considered sacrilege by some! “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)