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I Paid: $49.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle (prices may vary by region)
The initial email pitching the newly launched Nolet's Silver Dry Gin brand got my attention. The description of this $50-a-bottle luxury tipple went like this: "Nolet's Silver is a modern take on gin with a refreshing floral and fruit-forward flavor featuring notes of peach, Turkish rose, and raspberry."
Interesting, particularly coming from the creators of Ketel One vodka. And if you're like me, laboring under the idea that gin necessitates juniper, it's a bit perplexing. It took three back-and-forths with Nolet's pleasant and professional PR guy before I finally got an answer that sort of made sense: The thing that makes Nolet's a gin (as opposed to, say, an infused vodka) is a dry finish, a character trait held in common with a traditional London dry gin. Well, OK, sure.
So I bought a bottle. After it arrived, I did what any casual, recreational gin drinker would do: I put Nolet's next to my other three bottles of gin and tried all four both straight and in gin and tonics.
Nolet's went up against New Amsterdam (my favorite affordable go-to bottle), Death's Door (a Wisconsin-made specialty gin), and Hendrick's (a much-beloved boutique gin). New Amsterdam was clean and light on its feet, with a pronounced but not aggressive juniper finish. Death's Door swung that piney branch with muscle and passion, turning the volume up on gin's classic flavors. Hendrick's brought its signature herbs-and-cucumber bouquet to the table, oozing sophistication and refreshment.
And that $50 bottle of Nolet's? It started out with a pleasant fruity, floral herbyness and it ended with a moist echo of decent cherry schnapps. It was off-putting when tasted straight, and palatable but a bit juvenile when mixed with tonic.
Maybe there's a dry finish here that a spirits expert would detect, but I couldn't find it. And maybe there's a reason that this is a gin (the peach? the raspberry?) as opposed to a berry vodka, but if there is, it's not really apparent.
Nolet's Silver Dry Gin, then, is a sheep in wolf's clothing, an agreeable, mixable berry party spirit wearing a tuxedo. There's no doubt that a mixologist could do pleasant things with it, but the word gin just doesn't make sense here. And neither, it should be said, does the price tag.
Gin HAS to have Juniper(if even a tiny portion)in it to be called Gin. outside of that the botanicals can be anything. There are 5 generally agreed upon types/styles of Gin. They are: Dry English, Old Tom, Plymouth, New American, Sloe. Those are listed, by in large, in the predominance of juniper in their botanical bill. There is also Genever, which is a dutch spirit that predates English Gin,...+READ
Gin HAS to have Juniper(if even a tiny portion)in it to be called Gin. outside of that the botanicals can be anything. There are 5 generally agreed upon types/styles of Gin. They are: Dry English, Old Tom, Plymouth, New American, Sloe. Those are listed, by in large, in the predominance of juniper in their botanical bill. There is also Genever, which is a dutch spirit that predates English Gin, and has Malted barley as a base. Totally different and highly enjoyable spirit!
While the process varies based on whether the Gin is made in a pot still or a continuous(column)still, it is true none the less that the botanicals are added between distillations. To make it easy to understand, basically a "tea" is made with NGS(neutral grain spirit, ie. vodka.) that is around 190proof(95%ABV), then the product is redistilled to remove poisonous and highly volatile compounds that are harmful.
if you tried to infuse vodka at home with juniper, you are going to be one sick puppy!(unless you used some sort of industrial juniper extract or something).
so in conclusion, if the makers of Nolet's added one handful of juniper berries to a 100bbl. batch, they can technically call it Gin. Is it?(pssst. the answer is NO!)-COLLAPSE
I'm all about the Hendrick's myself. I hated gin until I had it, hell I still hate all other gins. Hendricks & tonic with a nice slice of cucumber. MAN that is refreshing.
Er, "before" or between, that is... need to stop replying via tiny smartphone keypads....
"Distilled Gin" means gin to which the botanicals are added bofre or between distillation steps - so they've passed through at least one distillation. "Compound Gin" means gin that's been flavored after all the ditillations. Generally, gin-heads seem to prefer the former, though YMMV.
I think if there's no juniper in it, though, calling it "gin" of any kind is a bit of a stretch. Seems like...+READ
"Distilled Gin" means gin to which the botanicals are added bofre or between distillation steps - so they've passed through at least one distillation. "Compound Gin" means gin that's been flavored after all the ditillations. Generally, gin-heads seem to prefer the former, though YMMV.
I think if there's no juniper in it, though, calling it "gin" of any kind is a bit of a stretch. Seems like they're just slapping the "gin" name on there (since there's really no legal definition, as there is with tequila or cognac...) and hoping it'll look classy or something. I think "Plymouth Gin" might have a legal designation.
A bit lame, since the name "Gin" actually derives from the French word for juniper ("genièvre") - but it looks like they could label Absolut Citron "gin" if they wanted to.-COLLAPSE
Actually, the juniper+ in gin is distilled AFTER the neutral spirit is distilled. So it's basically taking vodka & adding a distillation step with botanicals (though the spirit they use at this point in gin production may be stronger than what can legally be called vodka--I really don't know).
You're correct that most flavored vodka typically has the flavor added afterward--through infusion if...+READ
Actually, the juniper+ in gin is distilled AFTER the neutral spirit is distilled. So it's basically taking vodka & adding a distillation step with botanicals (though the spirit they use at this point in gin production may be stronger than what can legally be called vodka--I really don't know).
You're correct that most flavored vodka typically has the flavor added afterward--through infusion if we're lucky. To me the difference between adding flavor through infusion vs. additional distillation is not too marked, and from I understand it's not exactly a hard and fast rule in the industry. But I'm happy to get schooled.-COLLAPSE
Gin is not simply flavored vodka. Flavored vodka is made by infusing the flavoring ingredient after the distillation process. I.e., you make the vodka first, then infuse it with your choice of flavor.
Several steps back in the process, yes gin is identical to vodka. But the juniper and other botanicals are included as part of the distillation process. This is not the same as infusing.
So,...+READ
Gin is not simply flavored vodka. Flavored vodka is made by infusing the flavoring ingredient after the distillation process. I.e., you make the vodka first, then infuse it with your choice of flavor.
Several steps back in the process, yes gin is identical to vodka. But the juniper and other botanicals are included as part of the distillation process. This is not the same as infusing.
So, that is why I'm guessing they're calling this gin. The flavoring elements sans juniper were included as part of the distillation process, not infused. Again, just a guess.-COLLAPSE
I guess you didn't get the memo: gin is flavored vodka. It just happens to be vodka that's flavored with juniper.
That said, I'll probably make a point of checking this out at a bar or a tiny bottle from the liquor store--rose and peach and juniper sounds too weird not to sample.
Right after I get my $33 xbox.