Hemp Gin

Nose: Flat and musty with hardly a hint of juniper. A floury, bready, yeasty aroma like uncooked porridge oats or bleached white flour. Not actually bad … just kind of odd and dull. Palate: Earthy and laid back with a mildly sweet herbal presence. Very little development. A distant suggestion of juniper, but it’s a rather uninteresting palate on the whole. Finish: Short. A light dull sweetish herbal aftertaste. Technically speaking this is a gin because it contains juniper, but in practice it’s so muted that this may as well be cereal and herb infused vodka. I wish I could be more complimentary about this gin because it’s an interesting experiment, but it’s simply below par when tasted neat. Overall it is reminiscent of new-make rye spirit straight from the still, but with a much less pungent character. It would be interesting to see what this would be like if given 3 years of maturation in an ex-bourbon barrel. Adding ice or water brings it to life, with the cereal-heavy nose developing delicate floral tones. Adding tonic further improves it and it's OK (if not particularly compelling) as a mixer. Interesting to try, but not worth buying a bottle. “Inferior” : 67/100 (1.5 stars)