Dolin Dry Vermouth

Rating: 15/23 N: Tart, savory, mineral, dry, fruit (citrus). There's a bit of a swirling complexity happening here that I'm certain will be squashed in a cocktail. It smells richer than Noilly Prat Dry, which I count as a win. P: It's dry with some fruit (green apple, green pineapple, pear, citrus?) bringing in some sweetness. I get some savoriness too. There's some stony water flavor with minerals and a bit of herbal bitterness with a dash of pepper. This tastes more complex than my initial impressions. I'm quite liking it now. Both in general profile and complexity, this is substantially better than Noilly Prat Dry ever was. F: Dry, a bit fruity, and bitter. Kind of like the aftertaste of a granny smith apple watered down a dash with some savory, spicy, and light herbal elements added in. Cocktail: Martini, obviously I'm going for a martini with Plymouth gin. In a 3:1 ratio, this comes across as a bit strong. It's a good martini in that it showcases complimentary gin and vermouth nicely, but it's a little too much vermouth. Still, I'm quite confident that this pairing is better than one with Noilly Prat Dry because this has more savoriness and spice, whereas the Noilly Prat is more tart-sweet and fruity. I give this a thumbs up in a martini, though it isn't rocking my world. - Conclusion - This is a step up from Noilly Prat Dry. This is the first dry vermouth I think I've actually liked. It has a good profile with some decent complexity to explore that fits a martini well. I'm not good at rating vermouth because I don't have much data. I'll give it a shot though. This doesn't seem lower than a 12 or higher than a 16. Maybe (maybe) a 17. That's a wide range, but I'm working with it. I'm currently leaning toward a 14 because at the end of the day I wouldn't drink this neat and I feel like my gin is fine enough on its own (this isn't providing a major improvement). Hmm, this is growing on me, so I think it might be in the 13 to 16 range now. OK, trying a 6:1 martini, this really enhances the Plymouth. I'm not sure that I've found the perfect ratio, but I'm sure that this is great in a martini. A 13 is out of the question now. I'm probably looking at a 14 or 15, though I guess a 16 is still an option. It's a 15.

I finished a bottle of this yesterday and wanted to write about it. I bought this on the recommendations from both friends and from the guys at my local store. I was not disappointed I made Martinis with this with 3 different gins and each one was great. I drank it neat and was very surprised by how good it tastes and I even cooked with it and it was great there as well. Having tried this and Noilly Prat Extra Dry Vermouth I still prefer Noilly Prat but this one is also excellent as well. This is a case of you can't go wrong with either. As I have said I have tried this with 3 different gins I made a Martini with Roku, Drumshanbow, and Rabbit Hole Aged Gin. (That gin is not on our lists yet but if you can find it buy it.) They all make very fine drinks. The flavor of the vermouth really goes well with these gins as well as just about anything else I have thrown at it. You can't go wrong with this one.

Dolin dry vermouth is the standard by which I measure all of my dry vermouths. It is excellent in cocktails and holds up quite well neat. The cost is a bit more than Noilly Prat (well a lot more when you consider you can get a 1L bottle of Noilly for $10), but the quality is hard to beat. On the nose I get grapefruit peel and pine. It may not have the strongest nose of the dry vermouths, but on the palate is where it separates itself from the competition. There is white wine vinegar, hint of citrus, salt and a kick of anise. It doesn't hold back and then the finish, while pretty quick, has a bit of acidity and sweetness. I've probably had 15 plus dry vermouths and so far, none have taken the place of Dolin, at least not when you factor in cost. A few are right there and may even be a touch better neat, but the versatility of Dolin dry makes it my top choice for dry vermouths.

Bright aromas of lychee, rose, anise, white peach, lemon zest, chamomile, and jasmine. Full-bodied and rounded in the mouth. Palate shows further anise, lychee, white peach, jasmine, and chamomile, plus bitter orange and marjoram. Long finish. 4.00/5.00 – Great (neat)

After trying this, I’m realizing how low quality the other vermouths I’ve tried at home have been. This is incredibly smooth to the point I could almost picture sipping it neat. Will never buy low quality vermouth again.

Dry and crisp with a clear wine flavor, tartness, and mineral edge. Only lightly bitter in the finish. More flavorful/character than Noilly Prat extra dry that helps it hold up better in cocktails.