James Gin Asian Parsnip

I grew up watching Top Gear UK. And that wasn't always an easy feat. A lot of the time, I'd have to stream it or download episodes to get my car fix. Jeremy, Richard and James made car culture humorous, fascinating and approachable. Everyone loved the trio from the older generation all the way to the kiddos. I've watched every Top Gear UK episode, special, non Top Gear specials, Grand Tours and Grand Tour specials all the way to the very last one that released on Amazon Prime just a month or so ago. And although I typically HATE celebrity endorsed products, I know that James is quite the Gin connoisseur. Additionally, all of the online reviews of this Asian Parsnip Gin are rave. Given my relatively novice tongue when it comes to Gin, I wanted to give it a honest go and see how this stuff stacks up. The nose is really really interesting. Embarrassingly, I don't know that I've ever had a parsnip but let me tell you what this nose reminds me of. You ever step into a grocery store's produce section right when the sprinklers go off on the root vegetables and there are citrus fruits near by that section? That's the nose on this Gin. Zingy bright citrus peel mixes with earthy root veggies like potatoes, carrots, radishes and obviously: Parsnips. It reminds me of the bright sun beating down on wet soil. A surprising sweetness tips off the taste. Not candy or chocolate sweet but more along the lines of sugary canned yams. Parsnips give this an earthy flavor but there is an interesting peppery spice. It doesn't make your mouth prickle but it's definitely there, hitting center tongue. Citrus, although more prevalent on the nose, plays a smaller role in the taste and really exists more at the back. Some ginger adds, what I suppose could be the "Asian" part of the Asian Parsnip. The finish goes decidedly dry and with that, the faint citrus that existed on the taste now turns to orange pith. Peppery spice lingers but with it, the parsnip lends an almost.... Umami quality to this spirit. Being a whiskey fanatic through and through, I can't say I'm even close to being an authority on all things Gin. But what I do know is what my mouth likes and my mouth likes this VERY much. Complex, earthy, peppery, citrusy... it's really run the gamut of tastes. James has said repeatedly that this would be a limited run product. I'm sure I'm not the only one in saying this but: James May. Please continue to produce this wonderful Gin. And for God sakes, please put this in more stores in the US. ( As if he'd ever read my lowly review lol ).

I’m just finding my gin palate, but let me tell you, this is delectable! My intro to gin was a gifted bottle of Suntory Roku and I fell in love. Roku seems to be, from what I’ve read, a well rounded gin for all types of drinking. I myself preferring it neat. With that said, Roku has become my baseline so take this review with that in mind. James May seems to be a connoisseur of many things and gin is one. When he announced his line of gin, I was excited. Refinement and protection seem to be a few of Mays’ main attributes and I knew this was going to be at the forefront of the production of his gin. Tasting was done neat. Asain Parsnip has several flavors but the boldest are subtle sweetness, parsnip, pepper, orange, and alcohol. To my palate these flavors all follow in this order in descending amounts. The sweetness kicks off first. Not overly sweet like a spoon full of sugar but like when an orange is at its peak ripeness. The parsnip sneaks in and the sweetness disapates. Next the pepper kicks in almost immediately but not overpoweringly. The finish is dry with hints of orange and spice and the trails of alcohol. The nose is reminiscent of fresh collection of vegetables and fruits just rinsed in a fine grocery store or farmers market. Comforting and pleasing. All in all, extremely well balanced and rounded in my opinion. It’s definitely beats out Roku due to Asian Parsnip being less alcohol forward and slightly sweeter. I’m sad that being in the States this is so hard to come by, but I’ll be snagging a bottle whenever I can. Cheers!

A satisfying spicy flavour with a sweet, parsnipy (?) finish

Works well with ekobryggeriets neutral tonic

Solid, plenty going on in there