Edinburgh Gin

Edinburgh gin, like many of the newer gins, takes advantage of local botanicals along with traditional botanicals to create a unique regional gin that is not completely true to the London dry style. However, it is easy to tell that the distillery paid homage to the style without completely dismissing it.

The bottle indicates that the gin is distilled with 8 classic botanicals and then is further infused with Scottish ones:  Scottish juniper, pine, heather, and milk thistle. The 8 classics likely include juniper, coriander angelica and orris root (all nearly universally standard in gins), probably both lemon and orange peel, cassia bark, and potentially cinnamon, ginger, pepper and another floral element.

When I smelled it, the gin hit me with a moderate amount of evergreen, a heady spice and a light floral accent. Citrus was not immediately punchy but supported with a light, bright backdrop.

This gin on its own was smooth and subtly complex. Strong-ish juniper was shared with a warm, bold spiciness, not unlike cinnamon but more complex and difficult to pinpoint. Floral notes were evident but not overpowering, and the gin had a light creamy character, with citrus not strong, but supporting the gin and bringing the flavours together. This gin was smooth and multi-faceted enough that I could happily drink it neat.

In a gin and tonic it was dynamic and surprising, in a good way. I tasted with Fever Tree, and gave it a taste on two different days. I found it paired best with lemon, which showcased the evergreen well and complemented the spiciness nicely. A couple of surprise performers in the garnishes were grapefruit and apple, which both paired beautifully with the warm spiciness of this gin. Cucumber was also nice but didn’t compliment the profile as well as the other choices and rosemary was a poor choice for this gin. I didn’t even try lime, given my last couple of tastings, for fear of it overpowering the more subtle elements.

As for other drink types I’m not sure if this gin would be flexible enough to suit very many cocktail types without losing the its character, though this certainly warrants exploration (Edinburgh Gin does recommend these recipes). I do know that it does make a nice G&T, with either classic or modern options, and is a great option to drink neat.