I bought this gin because there was a skeleton key on it, and based on it’s shape and little booklet I figured it would be a good martini gin. In that respect it is partially true, but alas the tale of this gin is summed up perfectly by the same key on it’s front. (not a real key, flat backing with glue on the back and low-grade material)
I think the reason I have such hatred for this spirit (aside from needing to use bullet points to explain why it dies in manliness) is that this had so much potential, and worst that others would buy on that potential. It does reaffirm why this site exists though – in the noble hope that someone wants to see if this is any good, to be clearly told. No.
What they Say: “No. 3 London Dry Gin is made in time-honoured fashion born of 300 years of experience using traditional copper pot stills. Essential botanicals of juniper, sweet orange peel, angelica root and coriander are combined with cardamom seeds and grapefruit feel to deliver a perfectly balanced smooth, fresh London Dry Gin.”
(They then have a booklet which I will just photograph since I hate booklets.)
Taste: 4.0 – There is a brief point before it hits your throat that is just clean; however I am splitting this by putting the aftertaste as the longer lingering. Because the second you ‘taste’ this it’s not exactly pleasant.
Aftertaste: 5.5 – It does linger here, and while that first brush wasn’t nice that long lingering taste is nice for a gin.
Burn/Smooth: 3.5 – This burns more than I thought it would, and much more than it should.
Aroma: 9.0 – It has nice blend here. It’s not citrus-y, the juniper is there but reserved, and there’s the overall botanical spice smell. This quite frankly smells damn near perfect.
Honesty: 4.0 – So by appearance this gains a bunch of points, it then systematically shoots itself in the foot for 3 main reasons.
- The key while cool is flat backed – if you put a key on your bottle take the extra effort and make it real.
- It has a booklet, with recipes, that wanks all over the place. Honestly the perfect gin? Piss off.
- To quote them ‘If a gin can make a dry martini it’s going to be extremely good however else you want to mix it.” False. This is bullshit, and above all severely misguided. No 1 gin can be very good in all drinks, that is a fact. You want to say you make a gin that’s the best martini (and comparable drinks) go ahead.
Mixability: 6.17
W/ Rocks: 4.5 – I was hoping that would just make this colder, and less burn. It has instead made the gin slick – almost like a Martini, which I was not wanting here.
Gin and Tonic: 6.5 – I should add a lime wedge, but that is still a very good G&T.
Martini: 7.5 – Finally the gin shows its purpose (which has been telegraphed, and written in text), but this is actually a great martini gin. However – go Tanquery10 – do the right thing.
Value: 4.0 – Listen it’s simple math folks – this costs more than Tanq10, it makes an inferior martini, and isn’t good by other rights.
Google Shop Average: $41
Website: http://www.no3gin.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 4.5
Want to compare this spirit against our archives? Visit our statistics page.
Metric Score: 36.17/70 |+| Metric Average: 5.17 |+| Reviewer Average: 4.5
New to Honest Booze Reviews, or just wondering how we score? See our FAQ/Review Policy.
Final Thoughts: I will use this begrudgingly as my martini gin, but make no mistake – I am not a fan of it. This looked to hold a lot of promise as a high-quality gin, and the short fact is that it’s no such thing. It may smell and look good – but that beauty is only skin-deep.
