Garnish Island Gin 750mL

Howard Hawks once said that a good movie was “three good scenes and no bad ones.”, and if we apply that philosophy to this gin, it can be said there are 3 good aspects. The design is killer, the sweet and spicy taste is great, and the aroma literally fills the room with gin. However to say there are no bad aspects would be a lie, and as such, this is certainly not a good gin.

The problem starts with something off about this gin, it’s in the aftertaste and accompanied by a burn it’s slightly spoiled what could have been a top shelf affair. This problem is compounded by the addition of tonic – something they have the gall to suggest (among many other things)

 

What they Say: “Carefully chosen botanicals are infused to release their essential oils, then slowly distilled in small batches in our pot still.

A deliciously elegant gin that perfectly captures the unique, exotic character of Garnish Island in Bantry Bay, West Cork, Ireland

Inspired by the lush Italian gardens of Garnish Island Co. Cork, this classic gin is the creation of Master Distiller Deirdre Bohane. It offers light floral notes of hibiscus, iris and rose which marry beautifully with rosemary and thyme. This is then complemented by luscious hints of dark chocolate and strawberry. Enjoy the soft lingering glow on the finish. A truly exquisite gin best enjoyed with tonic and a slice of lime. This gin is non-chill-filtered and bottled at 46% to retain all the natural flavours. May cloud when chilled or mixed.”

 

Taste: 7.5 – It’s sweet and spice and everything nice. It tastes much like how you’d want a gin to taste, but it’s not perfect in execution or complexity. Still great though.

Aftertaste: 4.0 – The back nine here is all juniper twinged with some awful gin making byproduct which sort of spoils it.

Burn/Smooth: 4.5 – The burn here is relevant if not encompassing. It takes what could have been an otherwise outstanding gin back to the mediocre territory.

Aroma: 6.5 – It’s not highly juniper-ish. However, simply pouring this out of the bottle you are hit with a wave of it among botanicals that scream gin. There’s now awfulness aside from the pervasive nature this takes exposed to air. It is everywhere.

Honesty: 3.5 – The above literature is a lesson in bullshit. If you feel “dark chocolate and strawberry” in your god damn gin – you are either having a stroke or are full of crap. (Or the gin took a wild turn). That said it’s comforting to see them address a cloudy issue head on, and the design is actually fantastic. Dear god though that text is about as masturbatory as a 9 man orgy.

Mixability: 3.5

Gin and Tonic: 0.5 – That is without a doubt, one of the worst gin and tonics. It somehow makes the gin worse. It is revolting. How dare they suggest it above.

Martini: 6.5 – It is an okay martini – which given its dismal showing in tonic is at least some amount of small comfort. Whatever that odd aftertaste is thankfully neutralized via the minor bit of vermouth.

Value: 4.0 – It’s hard to ask ourselves the question of whether we can truly give this a good value score despite being bad at (as observed) and singular cocktail. There are so many gin-based beverages that we can surely find a home for this, and yet. The price is certainly more on the higher side rather than budget so we have to ultimately give it a subpar score.

Google Shop Average: $26

Website: https://www.westcorkdistillers.com/

 

Reviewer Scores:

BuffaloJern: 3.0

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Metric Score: 33.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 4.79 |+| Reviewer Average: 3.0

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Final Thoughts: Listen, I do love a good martini on occasion. I also enjoy finding unique and new uses for the conga line of odd spirits that wander through the lounge. However at the end of the day of work if there’s one cocktail I go to, the one I’d have on that mythical deserted island alone with singular possessions – it’s the Gin and Tonic. I’ve had it with good gins, and mostly bad ones – but to see if marred here hurts me, and my opinion of this gin.