Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/101724
Plymouth Navy Strength Gin In America, gin has been typically sold between 40%–47% abv (in the U.K. the proof is often on the lower side due to the way alcohol is taxed). In 1993, Master Distiller Desmond Payne created a special bottling to celebrate the 200th year anniversary of Plymouth Gin, bottling it at a high abv (57%), and dubbing it Navy Strength. "Navy Strength was chosen because of the historic association Plymouth Gin had with the Royal Navy," says Sean Harrison, current Master Distiller for Plymouth Gin. Gin cocktails, including the Martini and the Negroni, beneit from the greater intensity that a higher proof offers. "Navy Strength has more alcohol, and therefore more essential oils and more lavor, particularly with reference to the lemon and orange," explains Harrison. Tasting them side by side, the difference in lavor is dramatic, with the Plymouth Navy Strength delivering much bolder and expansive lavors, while the standard version is much softer and subtler. Pernod Ricard USA BARREL-AGED GINS FEW Spirits Barrel Aged Gin Barrel-aged gin isn't a new sub-category; there is a long tradition of aging gin, especially in Europe. The practice is relatively new for the American market, however, and it's inding some traction among craft distillers. For their Barrel Aged Gin, Few Spirits in Evanston, Illinois decided to use an entirely different botanical mix than they use for their un-aged gin, simplifying the number of botanicals from 11 down to ive. "We know the gin is going into a barrel and we want to make sure that the barrel shines through. Too many botanicals plus barrel impact could equal a big hairy mess," says Paul Hletko, founder and Master Distiller of FEW Spirits. "We are going for a gin that drinks like a whiskey." FEW Spirits ULTRA-PREMIUM GINS Dry Fly Barrel Reserve Gin Dry Fly Distilling produces a non-aged gin that is radically different from the London dry style. This "Paciic Northwest gin" features crisp apple along with juniper, coriander, lavender, mint and hops. The distillery uses this base gin for its Barrel Reserve Gin, which is released in 375-ml. bottles as part of the Dry Fly Creel Collection. "We put our delicious Paciic Northwest Gin in new oak and then blend gin that has been aged one and two years to create our Barrel Reserve Gin," says Kent Fleischmann, owner of Dry Fly. Barrel-aging this gin adds both a nice oak note and some sweetness to the equation, completely transforming it into something unique but still related to the original. Dry Fly Distilling NOLET'S Silver Dry Gin / NOLET'S Reserve Dry Gin Building on their immense success with Ketel One Vodka, the Nolet family has entered the gin category with two high-end premium gins. NOLET'S Silver Dry Gin builds on the classic gin botanical mix with Turkish rose, raspberry and peach. It's made by hand in a very small copper still built speciically for the gin. "We wanted to create something really beautiful," comments Bob Nolet. NOLET'S Silver is an elegant gin with an almost ethereal mix of loral and herbal notes. Serve chilled with a twist of lemon. NOLET'S Reserve Dry Gin virtually establishes the super-ultra-premium gin category. At $700 a bottle, NOLET'S Reserve was created to represent the inest expression of gin. While the exact botanical mix is a secret, NOLET'S Reserve features one of the world's most expensive botanicals, saffron, along with verbena. The result is an immensely complex gin with deep layers of lavor. Extremely limited in production, each batch of NOLET'S Reserve is personally supervised by Carolus Nolet, Sr., who hand signs and numbers each bottle. Nolet's U.S. january 2013 / the tasting panel / 99