Gin Mare

Of the batch of gins I've recently opened, the nose on this one is the closest in style to a traditional London Dry. No unconventional aromas here. The macerated olive, rosemary, thyme, and basil notes unique to this expression aren't obvious on the nose. Olives may have rounded some of the sharper notes, but the difference in botanical greens isn't made apparent, before a bouquet of sweetness eventually supplants the herbal notes. The palate is surprisingly, and pleasantly, oily for a gin - might I say, even savory. Furthermore, the rosemary and thyme presence produces a fuller and rounder herbal flavor than in an average London Dry. The inclusion of basil sweetness is a brilliant and deft concept as it supplants the more medicinal notes of the standard coriander (i.e. cilantro). The sweet citrus flavors then wash away the botanical notes and fuse them into hints of fragrance on the palate. This is lovely when tasted neat. While it's undeniably recognizable as gin - with its tweaked elements, however - this drinks like the distillers have re-invented the wheel but not the platform. When paired 1:1 with Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic, the sweet and botanical notes turn effervescent - even as the spice notes bubble into orange and lime flavors. It's a work of art, bravo!

Nose: Fresh, crisp and maritime with herbal notes (rosemary, thyme) immediately noticed. Juniper, olive-brine, lemon zest and coriander emerge as secondary aromas. There is a note of pine-needles as well. Palate: Elegant, clean and maritime on the palate. The olive-brine, lemon and rosemary notes from the nose are strongly in focus initially. Over time it develops softer flavours with orange emerging from behind the lemon, and basil from the rosemary. Pine tree and eucalyptus resin towards the finish. Finish: Medium. Herbal and maritime into the aftertaste. This was tasted at a pop-up stall at our local liquor store last Saturday, which was World Gin Day. I’ve seen Gin Mare around for a while but never tried it before. It has a pronounced olive and maritime quality, along with a strong green herbal core that features resinous aromas and flavours. The closest thing I have tasted is St. George Terroir gin, but that is more pine-centred and less maritime. I liked the crisp, bracing quality of this gin and maybe it was just the power of association but I thought it went very well in a gin & tonic made with Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic, and I can imagine it would also make a nice dry martini. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Tasting neat, room temp, and with ice. Nose is herbal (anise, basil, angelica), juniper, a little dry spice in the back. On the palette, pine resin, eucalyptus, rosemary, olive oil, and basil. A little brine, bitter citrus, and olive taste. Soft oily mouthfeel, and flavors are dry, muted, with little ethanol bloom. Finish is fairly short, with soft lemon peel and mint which leaves a lasting tingle. An ice cube heightens the sweetness and basil notes, but you (almost) lose the resinous flavors, which really seems to be the point of this gin. I like pine forest gins, but if you don't... well, this isn't the droid you're looking for. I wish I could try this in a dry martini, but... only time for a short glass by the pool on a hot day in Sicily. Ciao bella.

What a unique gin! Very strong olive and sea flavor, along with some spice on the finish. Nose is strongly olive to me, with a number of other ingredients hiding behind it. This gin would pair fantastically with seafood or a savory charcuterie, but less so with other meals. Because of the specificness of this gin, I respect it for its role but wouldn’t purchase again or sip neat without a meal pairing.

Light citrusy lemony base with rather clearly distinguishable savoury notes and kitchen herbs on top both in the nose and neat. I can definitely tell the thyme and rosemary, I think I can tell the olives, not sure about the basil. Tonic tips the balance towards the citrus at first, but the kitchen herbs can be made out again, albeit fainter, once you get used to it. Delicate and really nice overall.

I love this gin. I had it in Barcelona in 2014 where it was very common at the time, but unheard of elsewhere. I can now get it more regularly, and an old friend even hand carries bottles from Spain for me (700ml and 1L). It has a nice savory flavor, the one gin I still add olives to. I use a celery bitter when I use Gin Mare in martinis (my daily sip). I can't recommend this enough.