It’s come to my attention that we really haven’t reviewed a gin for near 6 months now (I honestly keep buying New Amsterdam or get a special Tanqueray) So this whole thing aside from providing the internet with honest spirit information is to keep trying new things so let’s try an American gin.
I’ve long heard many good things about Aviation; however I am always wary of Americans on the west coast promoting their Portland-based spirit. While what we have here is actually a good gin – for it’s price you would just only buy it if you want something that is middling-high-tier. What I’m on about is that this gin doesn’t go into a distinct direction of flavor/taste like gins of this level – and instead tries to hit all those elements.
What they Say: “Batch Distilled from an adventurous blend of spices from around the world.”
Taste: 6.0 – It starts off fairly clean with a hint of juniper
Aftertaste: 7.0 – Here though the juniper comes in, with a bunch of botanicals that remind you of Hendricks – but not as much.
Burn/Smooth: 8.0 – It is really smooth though.
Aroma: 7.5 – That tickles all the right smells for gin, where the juniper is not overpowering, but neither is the other botanicals.
Honesty: 7.0 – The notion of flight and adventurous blend of spice give this Portland gin a dose of uniqueness that isn’t gentlemanly like most gins. However it is also from Portland which is hipster-capital.
Mixability: 6.25
Gin and Tonic: 5.0 – It’s okay.
Martini: 7.5 – Makes a damn fine martini.
Value: 4.5 – While it’s not bad, it’s certainly overpriced – the Ketel One of gin if I had to say.
Google Shop Average: $34
Website: http://aviationgin.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.5
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Metric Score: 46.25/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.61 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.5
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Final Thoughts: While I’m glad I decided to branch out if for nothing more than to satiate my curiosity, it seems I am still on the lookout for a replacement to my already favorite gins.
Omg! Eww! When it first came out it was splendid! Super smooth, not too much juniper, just fantastic (I’m a huge gin drinker, usually go with New Amsterdam or Bombay if the price is right), but that was about a yr or 2 ago. Bought another bottle tonight (hadn’t bought since they sold to the Smirnoff guys) and my word was i sorely disappointed! Mouthwash is the front end and a vodka back… totally ruined!
We bought a large bottle of avation American gin. It was so bad we won’t drink it. It taste terrible. You owe me $60.00.