Okanagan Spirits Gin

The cure for a difficult week is surely a vacation at the lake – a weekend away with pure sunshine, and rotation between crisp, refreshing cool lake dips and sunny, warm wind. What would you give for that feeling at the end of a horrendous day, or in the middle of a cold downpour or the short days of winter? Enter Okanagan Spirits Gin.

Okanagan Spirits, western Canada’s oldest craft distillery, has recently been given the credit that it is due – it was awarded both distillery of the year (gold) and World Class Distillery this year at the 2015 World Spirits Awards in Denmark, with their gin taking away a bronze award.

Sipping this gin is a blast of summer – sweet fruit mingling with the evergreen backdrop of a comfortably shading spruce. With its fruit base, this gin is easy sipping on its own, and its blend of botanicals pays homage to the classic ingredients of a gin while adding a few choice geographically-represented additions. One of the things I love about this gin is its versatility – sip it neat, on ice, or mix it to bring out the sweet, bright fruity characteristics using soda or a light tonic and lemon. Alternatively, punch up the evergreen and spruce with a more herbal tonic and cucumber.

Notes

Smell – Sweet fruitiness, some juniper and evergreen, with light citrus at the end

Taste Neat – Immediately smooth, bright and sweet without being obnoxious, light evergreen up front with delicate floral and light citrus following through. Absolutely drinkable neat – balanced, and finishes a bit like a brandy

In a G&T – Excellent with lemon and a non-botanical tonic, such as Fever Tree naturally light Indian to crate a light and sweet gin and tonic. Also pairs well with dry, herbal tonics, such as Fentimans with cucumber or Phillips fermentorium’s artisanal dry with lemon. These last two choices deliver excellent complex and fresh G&Ts.