St. George Terroir Gin

I love craft distilleries that produce 200ml bottles, because it's just enough to try a few times and in a few different ways, but without the cost commitment of a 750ml bottle, and is always a cuter design than the 375ml bottles. That alone is a nice feature, as well as any distillery that produces more than one type of gin, let alone the idea of packaging them all together into an efficient taster kit. I've had all 3 of these gins in the past, but didn't rate them and it was long enough ago that I can't remember which one was my favorite (although I remember it NOT being the dry rye, red label). In any case, the botanicals here sound incredibly unique, and I love the separate distilling methods used. I'm hoping this leads to a dry, perfumey, earthy experience that allows me to picture California forests, without actually having to step foot in our country's worst state. The nose definitely leads with fir tree (leaves and bark alike), as well as some earthy spices (like cardamom and even some allspice), cracked, dry juniper, lemon-scented cleaning supplies, and a overall floral surrounding note. The proof here is just enough to prevent any watery perception, but not enough to cause any real burn. The taste begins with a touch of floral pine, but quickly turns to lemon, presenting first as cleaning agents, but then as sweet, almost candied marmalade. A general sweet maltiness takes over most of the flavor beyond this, with more of an assorted rose garden note than anything dry or related to pine or fir. The proof builds slightly, but as with the nose, it's just enough to tell you that it isn't 80 proof, but doesn't deliver much besides that. Repeat sips turn the sweet citrus into a more general amalgam of artificial fruit flavors. A simple gin deserves a simple review (relatively). I'm not excited about this, nor do I think it's particularly unique enough to seek out or even order. I do, however, find it to be much sweeter than expected, and on that note, fairly sweeter tasting than most other gins on the market, without actually having a thicker, syrupy, sugary texture. It's fairly plain and even a little boring, but with several other gins made from this distillery to compare it to, that makes for a fun experiment on its own.

Definitely a unique and arresting gin. The blurb on the back suggests to "drink it on the rocks and be transported" and I think that's fairly accurate. The Douglas fir is front and center on the nose, with sage beneath it, and a hint of honey-like sweetness that adds an element of human civilization to the nature ambience. The aroma is very "dense" with many elements that I don't expect in a gin and which are plant-based but more in a leafy, thick, and deep way than typical herbal or floral notes. It definitely makes you feel like you're in the forest, or perhaps sitting comfortably in a secluded cabin. In the taste the fir remains prominent, giving a piney flavor, and the sweetness is also carried forward. It's a cozy flavor that makes me think of Christmas. The finish is fairly long and again fir-forward with a bit of spiciness. Juniper doesn't stand out to me but it's easy to imagine it being buried somewhere amid all the other sylvan components. When I initially tried this I loved the aroma but felt the taste was a bit on the bitter side, but on subsequent tastings I've been more pleased with it overall. I'm one of those people who often drinks gin neat and this is rich enough to make that quite enjoyable. I tried this as part of the St. George gin sampler pack (200ml bottles of each of three gins), but I could see myself getting a full bottle for $30 or so (which seems to be the going rate; my price here is roughly pro-rated based on the bottle size I got). The relatively dark profile is quite different from other gins I've tried and may not be to everyone's taste but I'd say it's worth a look.

Nose: Pine needles, cypress sprigs, casurina needles, sage, thyme, bay leaf, cassia bark, fresh-sawn fir and cedar planks. Astonishingly herbal and coniferous - exactly like the aromas of a pine plantation. [Interestingly, the dry glass aroma loses most of the pine notes and is strongly lavender and rose, like their Botanivore gin]. Palate: Pine resin. Bay leaf. Sage. Finish: Medium/long. Sweet pine resin flavours that linger into the aftertaste. Ideosyncratic in the extreme. You'll either love this or hate it. The nose is so piney it's hard to believe, and that character translates directly into the palate. I kept thinking I was tasting a pine-tree resin liqueur, it's so piney - in fact it's piney to the point of being a caricature. With tonic it tasted like the same gin with a veneer of tonic on top. There was no integration at all which is odd considering the stablemate Botanivore gin meshes so closely with tonic. It's not to my taste, but I can see the attraction and the distillery deserves credit for taking a chance on something novel. You could reasonably rate it as anything from 75 to 90 points, depending on how well it suits your palate, but the quality of distillation is unquestionably high. "Average" : 75/100 (2.5 stars)

Initially, I wasn’t too wild about this gin. I work in a paint store and all I could think of with each sip was “this is straight-up turpentine.” However, after a bit, the shock of pine resin was over and I was able to explore the different botanicals hidden beneath the surface. Still very woody, but you get snippets of the volatile oils of sage and bay laurel—especially the sage as the rest of the botanicals fade. In college I had a field biology class where we took hikes around the California Bay Area and were able to sample the local flora like bay laurel, manzanita berry, huckleberry, and black sage. This gin takes me back to those hikes, but it’s still hard to get past the initial shock as the turpentine hits my tongue. I’m glad I’ve got a small bottle, as this won’t be my go-to gin. I’m glad I have tried something so far apart from the average, but it’s just kind of too much to handle at once.

I was always curious of this gin. I love St George for what they’ve done with their Single Malt; those annual releases get sold within a blink. So with a name like “terroir”, I knew what I was in for—-a taste of the California land and forest. I had this romantic notion of a hike through a northwestern pine forest, covered in moss and mist. Yes...it is the taste of terroir...but it’s sage. And I’m not a fan of sage...just a personal taste thing. From the reviews here, I’m clearly the outlier. So...i”d not get my aversion to sage as a reflection on this. Thanks to @The_Rev for the sample!

The pine conifir and sage are highlights to this bold gin, it has serious body and perfect if you're steering away from citrus. This won't be the only gin on your bar but is an entertaining one for any gin lover. For cocktails, you've got to know what you're doing with it. This isn't a London Dry, nor is it trying to be. In abandoning citrus altogether, it bares a spicy, herbaceous element that isn't present in your classic gin. I recommend 40ml St George, 20ml of a rich sweet vermouth, and 20ml Averna with an expressed orange zest for a complex and worthwhile alternative to the negroni.