Alright time for some gin since it’s been a while (and we’ve fallen into the trap of just getting New Amsterdam and Tanqueray 10 all over again.) For the first gin (yes there will be another next week) we went with an American gin which comes to us from Maine.
We’ve had Cold River, but with blueberry as the main flavoring (which made a nice blueberries and cream). This however is their gin and while it is by no means a bad gin in any respect it’s lack of strong marks betrays that while this is a good gin to buy once, or cheaply in Maine it’s not likely to replace what is on your cabinet.
What they Say: “Product of the United States of America. The Spirit of Maine.” (There are also various botanicals listed in latin text around the bottle)
Taste: 6.0 – It has a nice crisp taste with a lot of flavor behind it.
Aftertaste: 7.0 – It then gets a bit sweeter, but leaves with a nice lingering spice.
Burn/Smooth: 6.5 – There is a twinge of burn but the crisp and sweetness make it smooth going down.
Aroma: 7.0 – It’s not terribly high on juniper, and there is a nice characteristic sweetness that is not sugary.
Honesty: 6.5 – The little raven and latin are a nice touch, but then it’s from Maine so not a huge amount of gravitas. Also the green bottle doesn’t work like it would in a scotch.
Mixability: 5.5
Gin and Tonic: 4.0 – Not a great gin and tonic if I’m honest. Considering the taste though I figured I should try a martini.
Martini: 7.0 – Well then, it seems this is my martini gin from here out, because the G&T was not good, but this is.
Value: 5.0 – While this does put it close to contention with Tanqueray 10, it seems to be only good at that (unlike other mixed drinks which I have also tried.)
Google Shop Average: $29
Website: http://www.coldrivervodka.com/gin/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.5
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Metric Score: 43.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.21 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.5
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Final Thoughts: Like I said at the end of the day this is a pretty good martini gin, but it’s not replacing anything in your bar, and you are stuck with the limited availability of a Maine micro-distilled spirit.
