Hayman's Sloe Gin

Nose: Cranberries, strawberries, citrus and a little bright spice. Palate: Sweet and tart sloe berry, stewed rhubarb, and a touch of orange marmalade in the arrival, with sweeter fruit syrup notes following and juniper and orris root developing towards the finish. Finish: Medium. Tart and sweet with lingering berry flavours. Tasted at a pop-up stall at our local liquor store last Saturday, which was World Gin Day. I’ve had several sloe (and other berry-flavoured) gins previously but had not tried this one before. Mrs Cascode particularly liked it, and we bought a bottle. There are two directions you can go with sloe gin – you can make it intense and syrupy so it is like a berry liqueur, in which case the gin foundation spirit character is usually well covered and it may as well be vodka, or you can keep it balanced and light so the gin still shows through. The second approach is the one Hayman uses for this product. This style makes for a refreshing light drink when used as a mixing ingredient, and the note of bright rhubarb or citrus I get from it contributes to this as well. It works surprisingly well in a gin & tonic, creating a drink that is like a g&t with a spike of fruit syrup, which is … well … pretty much what it is. It is also an obvious contender for making a sloe gin fizz or a sloe gin shrub, as others have pointed out. Very pleasant, and there is a sense of balance to it. It's sweet and berry-driven to just the right degree and this is one of the better sloe gins available. We'll probably replace the bottle when this one is finished, but we will also explore flavoured gin as a category. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)

This is the third sloe gin I've tried, after Spirit Works and Plymouth, and this one definitely differs from those two. It has noticeably less of the darker, "mulled wine" spice in both the aroma and taste. The plummy sloe flavor is less adorned here, and for me that gives this a "lighter" flavor. There's something almost like bubblegum in the finish. The text on the bottle touts their philosophy that in a good sloe gin "you must be able to taste the gin" and they practice what they preach. With the other two sloes I tried the gin is only a faint background presence, but with this one it's more noticeable. Overall I think I prefer the thicker, deeper flavor of the other styles, but this is still very nice. That lighter profile makes this more of a refreshing summery drink whereas the other two feel more autumnal or wintry to me. And that summery feel is certainly what you want at times. I'm enjoying a glass of this with ice on a hot night at the moment and it hits the spot. This is also a little or a lot cheaper (depending on my luck) than the other two. The bottle cost me $26. I can see getting more, especially if I finish this bottle while the weather's still hot.

Clean, crisp, and full of berry flavour (think plum, blueberry, and Saskatoon berry). Would be fantastic in a Gin and Tonic on a hot summer day! The Gin base is there, and reveals itself in the finish... But it's not over-powering and certainly plays second-fiddle to the robust berry flavour. No alcohol burn is present, which is to be expected, given the low ABV. Although I'm not a cocktail connoisseur, I can certainly see the potential this bottle would offer. Would likely purchase again, based on first impression - will be interesting to revisit to see if thoughts & tastes change.

A pleasant and slightly floral nose, deep cherry/raspberry candy colour, it's consistency is syrupy and thick. Very sweet and incredibly easy sipping with a nice quick kick at the end to remind you it is indeed alcohol. Very reminiscent of cough syrup you didn't mind taking when you were sick as a kid. A lot of candied cherry, deep raspberry and plummy flavours with a whisper of juniper that is underscoring the entire affair. Surprisingly quite enjoyable on it's own, but definitely a "time and place" kind of spirit that is most certainly better suited to cocktails and mixology.

This is my first time trying Sloe Gin. Nose is plums, raspberries, and cherries. Not artificial or cough syrupy at all. The juniper jumps on the palate but quickly fades to being all of those orchard fruit flavours back to the forefront. The finish is surprisingly long and is a dance of fruit and botanicals. This stuff is pretty incredible. Neat you really get the juniper, on ice it's a fruit buffet. Add a bit of soda and it tastes like a cocktail with 10 ingredients.

Just got back from one night business trip in Atlanta, and after a long day of meetings and presentations, I needed a drink. I saw this at the hotel bar, and was curious what's a "sloe gin". Apparently it's some berries steeped in gin. I don't know...maybe it's me...but tastes like a fruit Hi-C. Or Kool-aid. Way tooooo sweet. Not rating it, since I have no idea what's good or bad in sloe gin