Uncle Val's Botanical Gin

Rating: 10/23 N: Floral, lemon heads, cucumber. What is going on here?! This is a really odd nose with lots of bold scents and quite a bit of sugar. Where's the juniper? I do get some alcohol and some prickly spice. Also a little dry leaves. P: Cucumber, lemon heads. Something a bit richer with more umami than the nose suggested. A bit of bitterness, but not more than a hint of juniper. It's sweet, but possibly not as sweet as the nose suggested. I do taste some of the alcohol bite and there is a bit of prickly, dry-earthy spice going on here. F: The finish of lemon heads with a little earthy umami bitterness. The umami is more like some sort of rendered fat than rich, salty meat. A bit of vegetal flavor that is the tail end of cucumber. - Conclusion - This is weird. Too weird. Challenging. I'm not a fan. I will give it credit for being pretty consistent though. There's way too much cucumber here and that citrus profile is too strong. This is weird, not smooth, and not balanced. I don't have a lot of gins on hand, but The Botonist (16/23) is vastly superior. This is very weird. It's challenging. Is it inherently bad? No. But it's not balanced or super complex. And it burns a little bit. A 13 is too generous for this. Is it as low as a 7? No. So an 8 to 12. I'm unfortunately low on spirits of any kind in that range to pit this against. Ford's (15/23) has a bit of a bite to it, but is substantially more complex and balanced than this is, as well as more traditional. My prior impression of this is reinforced. What do I even do with something this weird? And this burns my throat a little bit too. I think I'm bouncing between a 9 and a 10. Wheatley (14/23) has a spicy burn that I think compares with what this has, but it does have a bit moe of a coherent profile, with some full wheat sweetness. It does have more of an alcohol flavor though. This is kind of more fun, but it's weirder. I think that the Wheatley is a substantially better product. But the gap is less than I'd expected, so I'm giving this a 10. This is horrible value and I can't imagine myself ever buying another spirit from this company. What a tremendous disappointment.

Bourbon Snob Tries Gin: Part 5 Part 4: Bols Genever Part 6, 1/6/25: Monkey 47 Dry Gin >>>~~~~~~~~~~<<< I have not had too many gins. It’s been years since I’ve tried one. I don’t really know the language or the flavor profiles that make sense when describing gin. The only thing between “my understanding of gin” & “excellence” is one little ampersand. I want you to remember that. This is a bourbon snob trying to understand gin. Much thanks to @ContemplativeFox for the pour! >>>~~~~~~~~~~<<< Nose is floral, with orange, rose, lemon, and watermelon. Very faint pine. Body is roses, lemon. Simple, but clean. Wow! The finish is busy. Finish transitions during the lemon hit into fresh flowers, orange, watermelon, and a soapy note and mouthfeel that I don’t particularly care for. Think hotel bar soap. Not the fancy kind. I mean it might feel soft on your skin while you’re washing your hands, and that’s nice. But it’s ultimately unmemorable, and you don’t even really consider stealing the one by the sink that’s still in its cardboard box. Overall: one bad note, a lot of great stuff. This tastes fresh. That watermelon is fantastic and refreshing. It’s almost crisp enough to pass as a thirst quencher. Beyond that, it’s fascinating.

Not gonna lie, Gin is not my thing, but my wife loves Gin, so after doing some homework I landed on this one to buy for her. We visited the Beefeater distillery in London during our visit to the city, and this gin certainly stands head and shoulders above that one. The botanicals are blended nicely, and the multiple distillations give it a very smooth quality on the palate with no burn. Easy to drink neat, but was even better in cocktails. I'm curious to see how this gin would taste after a few months in ex-bourbon casks!

It took me a long time to like this gin. It has an overpowering aroma and taste. the big component for me is the cucumber. It is overpowers everything and its not a flavour im fond of. i found with some tonic and lime juice to round it out a bit, it grew on me some. still definitely not a favourite of mine but if you are into that flavour profile it will be amazing. I recognize its quality despite it not being my style.

Wow. On the nose: huge cucumber, then citrus, spice (cilantro? Peppercorn?), and of course, juniper. On the palette: smooooth, with complexity. First taste is water-y, then spice, juniper and cucumber, a bit of bitterness, and a very long, citrus-y finish. Opens up in a gin and tonic but doesnt lose the cucumber. A really fantastic Spring gin.

Wow, never thought I could enjoy gin until Uncle Val's Botanical Gin. Nothing can replace Ketel One for me, but this gin can sure stand side by side with it, the lemon citrus notes makes a perfect enhancement to our daily go to vodka, soda and lime drink.