Now we move onto a gin that has a history longer than most any spirit; however unlike Gordon’s which claims to have kept it’s rotgut bathtub recipe, you can tell this gin has been subtly improved. If anything my problem with this gin is that it has honed it’s edge too far.
I of course refer to as documented below – that there is so much power behind the taste here that you can’t enjoy it. The best way to think about it is – say you like hot sauce and peppers. Then you try something like a ghost pepper. Sure it’s the right category, but it’s too much to be something you can say was an enjoyable experience.
What they Say: “Documented at the turn of the 20th century as the gin used in the Marguerite – The original dry martini cocktail. Plymouth Gin remains on the true classics. Crafted in England’s Oldest working Gin Distillery and distilled with soft Dartmoor water & sweet botanicals. It’s no wonder Plymouth has been favoured by many since 1793.”
Taste: 8.0 – It starts off nearly perfectly in terms of what you want from a gin’s botanicals.
Aftertaste: 3.0 – However it then fails, not by being bad – but just too powerful. The taste is so upfront that you can’t enjoy it, which is
Burn/Smooth: 5.0 – Because of the above this does not go down smooth, but it does lack a burn.
Aroma: 8.0 – That smells like delicious delicious gin. It’s got the right amount of juniper and spices to it without being overkill.
Honesty: 6.0 – I will admit, I did like the original bottle look from a few years back, but I can see why they changed it. However this is a more martini-gin which brings it into Gentlemanly territory – despite it looking like a short batch from Gordon’s.
Mixability: 6.5
Gin and Tonic: 5.5 – It’s a more botanical G&T, so add some citrus, but regardless it works.
Martini: 7.5 – You need to carefully control and taste some various olive/gin/vermouth ratios – but if you do it right you can get a very nice martini.
Value: 4.0 – The issue here is that this is too much, and I would rather just use my money and get something like Tanquery 10.
Google Shop Average: $32
Website: http://plymouthgin.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 5.5
Want to compare this spirit against our archives? Visit our statistics page.
Metric Score: 40.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 5.79 |+| Reviewer Average: 5.5
New to Honest Booze Reviews, or just wondering how we score? See our FAQ/Review Policy.
Final Thoughts: At the end of the day we are left with a problem. We have here a gin which is not a budget or entry scotch, but it lacks the right level of taste and quality to be top-shelf. It lives in that dangerous middle ground of quality/taste/price where we can’t recommend it at all.
