Manly Spirits Lilly Pilly Pink Gin

Nose: Lime, lemon, juniper, soft spice, floral and red berry notes. Palate: Oily arrival with juniper closely followed by the main ingredient. Native strawberries, finger lime, dried blood orange and lilly pilly berries are discernable in the front line. Finish: Medium. Fruity fading to juniper notes. A welcome addition to the Manly Spirits lineup. Over the last few years the gin craze has seen a number of “pink” gins released. These have been flavoured with an assortment of botanicals and products ranging from sloe berries to red wine but many were overly sweet, syrupy and seemed to lose track of the idea that a classic pink gin should be based around bitters. In comparison, this Manly Spirits gin is quite dry in profile. It contains no added sugar and relies on its sweet ingredients (including lilly pilly, riberry, raspberry and rosella) for the character profile. The colour is natural and derived from nasturtium flowers and raspberries. Lilly Pilly is an Australian native shrub or small tree, related to the myrtle family. It produces a pink-to-maroon coloured fruit with a white interior that ranges from being almost as sweet as a raspberry to quite tart and citric. No-one knows where the name came from but it was in common use in the early days of European settlement and is most likely an English corruption of the name used by the Gadigal language first nations people. This gin is soft in character and sippable neat, but it really shines with the addition of tonic water and a slice of lime, where the bitter and sour notes perfectly offset its mild sweetness. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)