When you get down to it, gin is just a weirdly flavored vodka via some juniper or spices no one can pronounce and often clog up a spice rack. So when you make a gin there are a few ways to lean. Some go more juniper heavy, others citrus, some floral. Langley’s answers the question of what if a gin went full power?
The answer is a depth and complexity of flavor that outshines everything else. It demands attention, and from a name, we’ve never heard of before. Let us be clear – if you are looking for a new gin to try, and you don’t want to get burned by some of the options out there? Then try this.
What they Say: “Langley’s No.8 is a celebration of tradition & quality. Langley’s Distillery has been hand crafting small batch, award-winning gins, using only traditional methods, since 1920. Together with our master distillers, we have developed a secret blend of 8 botanicals of the finest quality. The unique blend is distilled in an old English-produced copper pot before combining with 100% neutral grain spirit. The result is a perfectly balanced gin of classic taste, ideal for the quintessential gin & Tonic and other Bespoke Cocktails.”
Taste: 5.0 – You get some light coriander and juniper-like flavors, there’s a slightly weird slime element, but it’s all soon replaced.
Aftertaste: 7.5 – Wow. That EXPLODES with flavors. Honestly, it’s complex, not perfect, but it’s just SO MUCH. Accurately to their words, this has so much potential in the right cocktail because of how much flavor this is packing.
Burn/Smooth: 3.5 – There’s a bit of that slimy consistency and even a little burn that makes this not the smoothest gin going down.
Aroma: 5.5 – It’s actually not bad, you need to get into it a bit, but the botanical smells and the juniper are still nice. That being said there’s some proof their spirit was not 100% neutral, and this isn’t a delicious smelling gin, just slightly above average.
Honesty: 4.5 – Most of the standard fare is there which both helps and hurts. While it’s true this would be stellar in the right cocktail – capitalizing Bespoke Cocktails is a joke. The bottle itself (and you can sorta see this above) has this weird funhouse mirror look – like you get dizzy staring at it for even a few seconds.
Mixability: 7.75
Tonic: 9.5 – Oh. Oh, baby. Okay. So here’s the situation, this removes the two soft spots on the peach, and then just delivers hand over fist that good good flavor. It’s complex and trust us – go with a standard tonic because you won’t need any of the fancy stuff because this is likely one of the best G&T’s on this site.
Martini: 6.0 – This is better as a Churchill martini – (looking at an unopened bottle of vermouth or the direction of France) but made in the proper amount you still get some of that harshness, and really you lose some of the magic.
Value: 6.5 – Now. Now that seems like a lot. But it is – definitely the best G&T on our website. Is this a goto gin – no. Is this your weekly well gin – no. Is this the gin you should go for when you want a damn fucken good G&T? – HELLS YEAH. Because of that when you consider this a rare purchase, 35 isn’t that bad. Add in other cocktails, and that’s good.
Google Shop Average: $35
Website: http://langleysgin.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.5
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Metric Score: 40.25/70 |+| Metric Average: 5.75 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.5
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Final Thoughts: This gin has suffered a sordid fate in the lounge. Partly because of the pity in not trying more diverse and unique gin cocktails and just being thrown together with some tonic. That, however, is high praise from us. Oh sure there’s some faults and nobody is perfect, but if you’re a gin that we want to keep coming back too? You’ve got something special.
