This is a seasonal gin release from Castle & Key in Kentucky. Sporting a modified recipe to celebrate the Fall weather, this gin is bottled at 51.5% ABV and uses slightly different botanicals. I picked this up when I was in KY to pick our New Riff barrel, and have spent the last couple months working through the bottle. Let's dive in.
I like this, as it exhibits some great character but the dominance of the cinnamon character is a bit disappointing. For a fall drink, this drinks more like a winter ensamble, in my opinion. That said, it's still solid. If we're being choosy, though, I'm all in on the Restoration London Dry, and a whole lot of it.
This is — wow — an intense gin, and frankly it’s a bit much at times, taking its ball on the finish and running headlong into the woods, where notes of roasted mushrooms, savory, and bitter citrus leaf dominate.
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House Review
Nose:
Sweet juniper, honey and loads of cinnamon. Pine, faint sap, pepper.
Taste:
Thick mouth feel with a syrupy structure. Heat very nicely in check. Lots of cinnamon here, pine and juniper in the back ground with some anise and pepper.
Finish:
Long, but the cinnamon takes over the show here. Heat is still very well behaved, but it's hard to hear over the cinnamon here.
Overall:
I like this, as it exhibits some great character but the dominance of the cinnamon character is a bit disappointing. For a fall drink, this drinks more like a winter ensamble, in my opinion. That said, it's still solid. If we're being choosy, though, I'm all in on the Restoration London Dry, and a whole lot of it.
Score:
80
By T8ke
Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources