Hanami Gin

Let the bonus round begin! With each round of the SDT we each try to include an extra sample or two. These can be whiskies, mezcals, aged beer, wine, or in this case, gin (my first official gin review at that). It’s a nice way of exploring what’s out there. The nose starts out with sharp lemon and pine notes, as well as some alcohol burn. Juniper berries and heavy floral notes. Cherry blossoms and orange blossoms. Orange creamsicle, and I swear it got it more than once, but Cap’n Crunch Crunch Berries. Man that brought me back to fun childhood times and painful upper palate lacerations. The palate is straight up Pine-Sol. Lemon and pine and alcohol. Not very pleasant. Thankfully, a generous amount of water really softens the taste. It becomes floral with some tart berries. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and a mix between oily and creamy. A medium long finish with mostly lemon and pine. The nose was pleasant after some time, but the palate absolutely needed water. Granted I’ve only had a total of 3 gins in my life, but this one was my least favorite. Might be good in a mixed drink but I really don’t have the experience to recommend it. 3 stars and a thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. Cheers

I finally opened up this one tonight, more so in quiescence for our Scotland distillery trading team’s round 5. I remember buying this last year on a whim, just because of the affordable sub-$30 price and the pretty picture. Yeah, I’m a sucker for pretty pictures, especially this oriental style cherry blossom art. Amazing value for money—-it’s probably one of the better gins I’ve had. Granted I’ve not had many...maybe 4-5 at most. The taste starts clean and juniper-y, but then takes a pleasant turn towards floral. Yes, like Yoshino cherry blossoms ( I have a huge 30 footer in my front yard, smells amazing in early spring). I have no idea on mix drinks, and I actually am not a fan of it either, seem to want to enjoy the spirit neat or with a bit of ice....so, having this with just a little piece of ice bought out more floral flavors. If you see this, you won’t go wrong, especially considering the price.

This is my second gin ever, both gifted me by my friend @PBMichiganWolverine. I can’t say that gin would ever surpass my love for brown spirits, but I could get used to nosing gin. I love the wintery pine notes and the overall “clean” smells they give off. I’m not sure I could ever get used to the taste, though. The fresh pine is fine, but after that all I get is furniture polish. I’d have to spend a lot more time with a bunch of these pours to even hope to acquire a taste. As it is, I like the fact it’s a switch from the typical whiskies I drink daily. Thanks for the extra, Pranay. Cheers.

A lovely gin that makes use of unique botanicals. The addition of cherry blossoms gives this gin a floral nose. Makes a lovely gin & tonic, and would be an interesting martini.

tastes of bark and cherry blossom mixed with citrus... not great, not wretched either

Fruity, floral and sweet.