Fords Gin

Rating: 15/23 This is a lot oilier than expected with essentially no bite. It's very smooth, but also mellow to the point that it's kind of bland. It reminds me of a less out-there Pacific Voyager. It's decent enough, but not something really enjoyable to drink. It's oily for sure and also herbal in a savory way that reminds me a tad of mezcal. There's some spice but not much fruit. It's different than Tanqueray No 10 for sure, but I've gone from thinking Ford's was far inferior to putting them on about the same level, in the ballpark of 15. The nose is subtle with nice pine mixed with swirling herbal and vegetal notes with some lemon balancing out the other end and some sweetness rounding it out. Reminds me quite a bit of Pacific Voyager. A bit of white and black pepper scent too, but not too much. The palate is immediately piney and sweet with the vegetal flavor and a bit more herbal bitterness quickly jumping in too. There's something kind of earthy that borders a tad on smoke in here too. There's a bit more alcohol flavor than I'd like, but it's not excessive. The balance is very good here, but you do need to want this particular flavor profile. I do get the corriander that Distiller mentions now that I've read their tasting, but it doesn't just leap out on its own. I'm thinking 15 to 16 here. Not higher and it could be a 14.

Fords gin was made for mixing. The gin was created to be the one gin that bartenders reached for when mixing any number of gin cocktails. I will say after having it in quite a few of them, they aren't wrong. It has a nice ABV to hold up in nearly any cocktail you throw at it. As for drinking it neat, well I'm not sure it's as worthy, but it's still decent. On the nose I notice the juniper, but it's not overpowering. The palate has a nice balance of juniper and citrus, primarily orange peel. The spice hits you after a couple of seconds and it's a pretty pleasing sip overall. The finish is a touch short though and a little hot, but not terribly so. For a gin that is pretty affordable and does very well in cocktails (it makes an excellent negroni and martini), it's hard to complain about this gin. I still like the heavy hitters like Tanqueray, Tanqueray No 10, Beefeater, Beefeater 24, Sipsmith and Plymouth better, but it's pretty close all things considered. I may even concede it's better neat then a couple of those, but either way it's a solid gin that is well worth having on your shelf if you are into making cocktails.

Rating: 15/23 N: I'm not getting a ton on the nose. Mostly, it's oily with a bit of alcohol. P: It's oily and the alcohol comes out, even burning a bit (at least in comparison with Plymouth), but there's this big herbal burst of fullness and interest, along with faint floral and even fainter fruit (lemon, with maybe some orange peel) notes bringing in some sweetness. I do get juniper in the herbs, but it isn't overpowering. It's strong, but I get the feeling that there are plenty of other herbs in here (perhaps terragon and corriander, among others). F: It's a mellow, herbal finish. There's a bit of complexity here and there's a little bit of a lightly oily fullness. - Conclusion - I gave Plymouth a 14 and it was smoother, but it was otherwise less interesting. This is interesting, but it has a bit of a bite to it. And it isn't so interesting that I want to sip it all day. I think a 14 is as low as I can go here, but I can also see a 16. A 15 to 16 is most likely and I think I'm going with the 15.

They finally started carrying this stunning gin at my local store and I am soo very glad they did. I have heard nothing but great things about this but I never had a chance to try it. Then the other day the clouds broke and bright rays of sunlight shown down and there it was. Fords Gin is a wonderful mix of many if not all of the flavors I like in gin. You have Juniper (of course) as well as Orris, Coriander seed, and 3 different citrus flavors. I have sipped several gins neat and Drumshanbo is still the best neat but this is a very close second. It makes a wonderful Martini and G&T but the Vesper Martini is where it shines. You really can't go wrong with this gin. Now I will say that it did not make my top three gins for my bar rotation, but I did expand my rotation to 4 to make room for it. Also, the price is better than Drumshanbo which is about $37 in my area Fords are $30 for a liter so yeah it is a keeper. Enjoy!

Smell: lot of alcohol, juniper, floral, some zest, Neat: good amount of juniper, floral, good amount of heat, some zest/rind On Ice: orange, citrus rind comes through more, still decent amount of heat, piney, def a london dry style with the amount of juniper Verdict: Try It: This is a great starter gin for those who want to know what gin is and what gin cocktails are like as this gin is meant to be mixed in many cocktails. It's very middle of the road for me which leaves a lot to be desired, but I would personally suggest better gins out there that sre around the same price as this one. You can definitely find this at a bar due to it's recent popularity so give it a try

Classic London Dry style with a little extra (but not too much) citrus. Clear in the glass with good coating legs. Juniper forward and spice, with just enough sweetness, makes it a great mixer. Oily mouthfeel and clean herbal finish. Love the distinctive bottle and label. Would put it right up there with/below my favorite, Plymouth, but (sadly) it's harder to come by where I am. Makes a great G&T and Martini, and plays well with lime and mint in a Gin Gin Mule. Update 2025, state of Utah now carries it, but dropped Plymouth. The heavens weap.