Bols Genever

Nose: Malty, like the aroma of ale, with added botanical and spice notes including citrus, clove and juniper but the intensity is much lower and more rounded than in London dry gin and the overall impression is earthy rather than floral. There is also a big oily cereal distillate aroma. Palate: Earthy and cereal on the arrival, like black rye bread with pine-forest overtones, nutmeg, walnuts and faint juniper. The texture is waxy, oily and a little thick. Some hay-like and malty flavours become apparent over time and a little mild pepper and licorice shows up towards the end. Finish: Medium. Malty, cereal and lightly spicy with some warm bitterness in the tail. Almost a hopped beer aftertaste. A typical jonge genever that shows all the aspects that exemplify this style of spirit. The nose and palate are distinctive and on first acquaintance it may seem like an unusual pairing of characteristics. If you’ve ever tasted barrel-aged gin then imagine that profile amplified so that the cask influence almost covers the botanicals. It’s also very similar to white-dog or new-make scotch whisky with the addition of a slightly hopped kind of spice and just a trace of the fragrances typical in gin. The closest dry-style gin to this that I’ve tasted is the St George Dry Rye (which I'm sure was inspired by genever). Jonge genever does not have the rich malt-spirit character of oude genever, but that does not mean it is only for mixing. I enjoy this neat at room temperature, but many prefer it kept in the freezer and taken as chilled as possible. The Dutch employ it as a “kopstoot” which translates as “head-butt” (I love that), which is beer with a genever chaser. It responds well to dilution (with up to equal parts water) and is an excellent alternative to gin in cocktails, particularly the negroni and Collins, as it is similar but with less aromatics and a denser, creamier palate. I’ve read several cautions about using it in a G&T but I couldn’t disagree more – it makes a great pairing with tonic, particularly if you add a couple of ice cubes and a generous slice of citrus. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Rating: 15/23 N: Rich, vegetal, herbal. It's really hard to describe the particular scents here, which unfortunately I think suggests that there's a muddling of flavors. The caraway peaks out from time to time and there's sort of an anise character mixed with the rich but mellow component of black licorice and a little bit of something savory but not meaty. I get a dash more grain too, but that may be the caraway. P: This is a more floral, sweeter, more mineral, and slightly fruity version of the nose. It's still really rich with a solid fullness. I get that caraway freshness mixed with some herbal boldness that blends nicely into the rich anise with mellow black licorice backing. I'm actually getting more complexity out of this than I'd expected. And those occasional floral notes fit in nicely. F: The caraway bitterness combined with freshness lingers for quite some time. I get floral and mellow black licorice notes too adding to the complexity, but the caraway forms the core of the finish. - Conclusion - I've been contemplating this bottle for a while and I'm starting to understand what genever is a little bit. I didn't like this when I first opened it, but it's grown on me since. I appreciate the bold flavor and have since learned that it's pretty good in eggnog (yeah, this review has been some time coming). Overall, it isn't terribly complex and isn't something that I can see myself wanting to sip on any sort of a regular basis, but I do appreciate it. Now I want to look for better genever. I found this to be very difficult at first, but it's kind of sippable now. It's at least a 14, though I'm skeptical that it's higher than a 16. A 17 is as high as I can currently imagine going. Based on some side-by-side comparisons, I'm going with a 15 here. I was a little on the fence with Plymouth (14) and Ford's (15), but Roku (16) seemed like it was probably better.

Bourbon Snob Tries Gin: Part 4 Part 3: Hendrick’s Lunar Part 5, 1/5/25: Uncle Val’s Botanical >>>~~~~~~~~~~<<< I have not had too many gins. It’s been years since I’ve tried one. I don’t really know the language or the flavor profiles that make sense when describing gin. Fake it til you make it baby. This is a bourbon snob trying to understand gin. Much thanks to @ContemplativeFox for the pour! >>>~~~~~~~~~~<<< Nose is white dog. This is fascinating. There’s butter, grain, corn. Genuinely smells like white dog. It’s delicious. Body is butter. Cream. Not much else going on. Finish is flat. Bit of cinnamon possibly. Pit fruits join the finish eventually: grape, raisin. This tastes just like a solid white dog. Very good. I’ve tried a few brands’ white dog on premises, and I genuinely enjoy the flavors from a science experiment perspective. This lives in that space for me, which feels odd. I was beginning to think that all gin flavors lived in front of a lemon pinesol backdrop, but this one is in a different world. I no longer know what to think!

This is the bottle I turn to when cocktails call for genever. There are definitely better genevers out there, but this one is reliable and works great in every cocktail that I use it in. The nose features malt and hay, while the palate is heavy on the grain and pepper. There is a touch of sweetness and the juniper makes an appearance but it's definitely more in the background. The finish has decent length, with some earthy notes and a little burn. I think this is better in cocktails than neat, but either way it's solid. It kind of reminds me of a white whiskey but with a touch more character. Neat I would give this a 3/3.25, but its use and value in cocktails boosts this up to a 3.5.

I'd never tried genever before, so I wanted to try this. It was much more challenging than I'd expected. The smell and flavor strongly remind me of grappa, with some rhum agricole characteristics as well. I get musty juniper and a hint of apricot. It's actually quite complex and interesting to contemplate. I'm not sure how much I actually like the flavor though. But considering that I don't like grappa, this is perhaps a big success. Considering how interesting it is and contrasting that with its similarity to grappa, I give it a tentative thumbs up. Real tasting to come when I have a better chance to taste an analyze it.

Wasn’t sure what to expect from genever as a gin drinker, but was pleasantly surprised. For lack of a better description, the flavor profile is somewhere between an Old Tom style gin and sort of an un-aged whiskey. Not especially dry, though not sweet either, a bit malty with some juniper and more mild fruit and herb notes. Familiar, yet very much in its own category. I’ve read that genever was a precursor to what would later become gin and that history comes through in the overall taste. Very worth trying.