When one thinks of Sonoma County one typically thinks of wine. The question then arises, well if they’re so good at wine, are they good at making anything else. With that, we have a gin, and while it’s a single data point and is therefore inconclusive we have an answer – no they can’t.
In the simplest terms that image should tell you everything, you need to know about this gin. It’s a hodge-podge that can’t figure out what it wants to be and likely costs too much. Maybe they should have gone for a smooth mint and chamomile. Maybe they should have dealt more with just an aspect of their home, or maybe they 14-foot pirate outside their distillery is a disguised demon – we don’t know what, we just know somethings off.
What they Say: “Sonoma’s West County in the Russian River Valley is home to Farmers, Musicians, Artists, Free Spirits, and The Odd Tinkerer. In its heart lies Green Valley and the funky little town of Graton. The home of D. George Benham’s ingenious Microcolumn Continuous Still.
Derek (to his friends) is a local character who made hay in the wine business and has been hankering to make this Sonoma style gin for years. It’s vapour-distilled with classic gin botanicals, local citrus, mint, chamomile and a touch of the exotic. Make a delicious gin & tonic or gin martini and you’ll be transported to our little slice of paradise. If you’re in the area pop in to say hi. You can’t miss the 14-foot pirate out front.”
Taste: 7.0 – You do get more of the tea like quality (which is bad, this reviewer is not a huge tea fan), and there is a mint aspect alongside the juniper. Overall it’s certainly a unique gin so despite personal views it does well.
Aftertaste: 4.0 – It ends rather abruptly and with a slightly souring metallic taste.
Burn/Smooth: 5.5 – There’s burn here, and it’s not exactly a smooth drinking gin (what a concept). Comparatively, though it’s above average if only just.
Aroma: 7.0 – It’s got a sweeter juniper smell, mixed with the botanicals. Not sure if the citrus or fucken chamomile is in there (stop strokin ya ego). Overall it’s a pleasant gin to smell.
Honesty: 1.0 – Okay. That text is about as spunk filled as the girl at a gangbang. Combine that with the bottle which is as hot a mess as that previous metaphor’s usage in a spirit review and this does not do well here. Sorry but the text is bad, the design is bad, the presence is bad, the tea is bad. It’s all bad.
Mixability: 3.75
Gin and Tonic: 2.0 – No. Oh sure it makes a unique G&T, but not great, hopefully, this shines in the martini, because of yuck.
Martini: 5.5 – That tiny bit of vermouth is enough to mellow out some of the gin’s worst aspects (the ice stirring likely helps as well) It makes a serviceable Martini and that’s it’s downfall. It’s NOT mind blowing. Because of that this gin now no longer has a purpose.
Value: 2.0 – Ya-ya-yikes. Sorry but you are charging speciality gin pricing, with a gin that sucks ass.
Google Shop Average: $36
Website: http://website.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 3.5
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Metric Score: 30.25/70 |+| Metric Average: 4.32 |+| Reviewer Average: 3.5
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Final Thoughts: They say they have a style all their own, but maybe they should have a style – that works. We’re all for being unique and standing out, and going against the grain. However if in doing that your bottle and the contents within are as caustically chaotic as your vision – well then go enjoy playing in the mud with an erector set trying to make a cheesecake.
What a douchebag review. I liked this gin a lot, and it’s fine if you don’t, but it’s no reason to be an asshole. Go play in traffic.