Hendrick's Midsummer Solstice

Was putting it off because it tends to be a little pricey but wow, If you like sweet berry notes this is top notch gin. The Distiller notes on the nose are pretty accurate but the real tell is in the taste and this delivers loads of sweet red and blue berry, a blue-raspberry pie is not out of order it's just that delicious. There is just hints of some citric tartness and light green herbs, thyme, ginger etc that follow the bold forward berries. Perhaps some will find it too sweet as it reaches almost a preserves level of sugars. What I like about Hendrix Midsummer Solistice is that it's the first berry noted flavor liquor I've not only been able to tolerate but to actually enjoy. I've tried plenty of blueberry vodkas and beers and all pretty much sucked, from fake and artificial flavoring to harsh contrasts. Hendrix MS has none of these fatal flaws, nothing artificial about it, just pure sweet gin. The tart and sweet notes mesh together nicely and come off with a true pastry like experience, as long as you are not looking for a really dry gin or you just don't like berries, you should be really happy with this. One of the things I noted about the standard Hendrix is the quality, you can just taste it and I'm becoming a believer that the Hendrix people really care about it. If you want something like an after dinner desert gin, look no further, this is it. I have to commend Hendrick's on doing what they set out to do and making a yummy sweet gin so good I don't want to put tonic in it, but of course you always could. Cheers!

I couldn't agree more with the expert take on the nose as orange. Orange, yes, but maybe just the peel..... Or left whole, unripened on the branch and surrounded by tree leaves. A further dip in the glass and I pick up a flowery perfume. The palate is vibrant and alive with the unfolding of a flower - I can almost taste the fresh violet and rose petals, intermingled with sweet berries, and a quick citrus note. Sugar notes then appear toward the finish. The latter reaches a crescendo of herbal spice and effervescence, while being balanced with a touch of wood bitterness. The floral, petal notes and the sweetness continue on for minutes after you've taken a sip. In a G&T, most of the floral and herbal flavors are dialed back into the orange peel note, while the sweet berry flavors sparkle into a lightly citric closure. This is an excellent bottle to have on hand when you want a pretty and very floral gin, to counterbalance the usual London Dry formula. Many thanks to @BeppeCovfefe for the provocative review that pointed me to this memorable bottle.

Color is absent, clear. Nose is floral, with a bouquet of unidentified flowers and lavender dominating. Underneath the floral is the classic Hendrick's Rose and cucumber. First sip is pleasant, floral, gentle. No harsh flavor or finish. The lavender does not overpower but shows. The floral is soft and mildly sweet. Quite pleasant on the rocks. Tonic water becomes very important, however, due to the delicate floral notes. Mixing with too powerful a tonic (i.e. Fever Tree Indian Tonic Water) and the bitterness of the quinine overpowers the notes and they are lost. Diet tonic (i.e. Zevia Tonic Water) also interferes with gentle notes. The right tonic though (Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water) enhances the floral notes and makes a refreshingly light and floral drink. Overall, this is a solid Gin, but I prefer classic Hendrick's for its simplicity and Orbium for its uniqueness over this take.

I’m not a huge Gin Drinker. But I grabbed a bottle of this as my wife loves Gin and Tonics made with the normal Hendricks offering. We had a party and opened this bottle up. It was so good that other non-Gin drinkers started drinking the Gin and tonics too. Raving about them even. So needless to say I have grabbed a few more bottles for future drinks! It is quite floral and citrusy. I haven’t tried it straight but I would imagine that these notes might be a little overwhelming and strong but mixed is absolute perfection. I would give this a 5 but it’s hard to believe anything is a 5.

- nose: floral. Has some mineral, citrus notes like Lacroix. Somewhere in between orange and lemon. - Palate: sweet perfume. Floral notes, including the classic Hendricks’s rose, with a fruit background. Not overly drying floral notes. orange peel. Very mild juniper notes—much less than the classic Hendricks. Wonderful oily mouthfeel. - Great gin on the rocks. Not overly complex, but interesting enough to keep you going back to it.

Very floral nose - roses maybe? Lavender. It has an oily, soapy quality as others have mentioned. Sweet, floral flavor, with a citrus, piney bite. I don't find the soapy character to be a negative in this case, it's more of an idiosyncrasy. Drank it straight- looking to use it in a gin and tonic as soon as my tonic is chilled.