An Impromptu Gin Tasting and What I Learned From It

I’ve participated in and conducted hundreds of wine tastings over the years, but I have done only a handful of spirits tastings. When we ended up with three different bottlings of Hendrick’s gin in our home bar, I decided to hold an impromptu gin tasting – for myself! Here’s what I learned.

Photo by Laurie Geis

The best way to learn about wine and spirits is to taste them, preferably side-by-side to better understand and appreciate the unique differences among different bottlings. Gin is one of my wife Laurie’s and my favorite spirits. It has an interesting and unique flavor profile and provides a complex, fascinating base for a wide range of different cocktails. So, when I found a variety of different Hendrick’s gins at our local wine and spirits store in Sarasota, I impulsively bought them all and “hosted” an impromptu gin tasting for myself!

My first and only other gin tasting was one Laurie and I had in New York City back in 2017 at the Lamb’s Club (a fantastic restaurant owned by Geoffrey Zakarian of Food Network fame and hidden inside a great boutique hotel near Times Square called The Chatwal). Laurie and I were there for pre-dinner drinks and got to talking with the bartender about gin. He gave us a great tutorial and was kind enough to lead us through a gratis gin and tonic tasting with a few different gins – it turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences we’ve had in NYC!

Gratis G&T tasting at The Lamb’s Club Bar in NYC – Photo by Laurie Geis

Hendrick’s gin is one of our favorites because in addition to the usual botanicals and spices used when distilling gin (like juniper berries, coriander and citrus fruits), Hendrick’s is infused with cucumber and rose after distillation, giving it a decidedly unique flavor profile with floral notes that sets it apart from other gins. Distilled and produced in Scotland, it’s a small batch gin but is widely available in the States and elsewhere. From time to time, they release limited edition bottlings using what they refer to as their “cabinet of curiosities” to make unique blends – these include Lunar, Orbium, and Midsummer Solstice (the latter so limited I have never been able to find it, unfortunately – if you ever do I’d pay you good money for a bottle of it!). Here’s a quick recap of my impromptu tasting:

• Hendrick’s Flagship Gin ($30/750 ml): A sniff of the flagship gin from Hendrick’s shows scents of orange and bright floral notes. The flavor profile includes citrus peel, juniper, and cucumber and is somewhat assertive and strong with a bit of heat on the finish. I immediately thought of this gin as the perfect base for mixed drinks with other somewhat aggressive flavors such as a Negroni (an Italian cocktail with a bitter edge made with gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth).

• Hendrick’s Lunar Gin ($38/750 ml): This was a smoother gin that was lighter and mellower than their flagship gin. Floral notes were prominent on the nose, with juniper, rose water, and a hint of bitterness in the mouth and on the finish. Given this gin’s light and mellow flavor profile, I felt it was definitely tailor-made for a classic gin and tonic (gin, tonic water, and a splash of lemon or lime juice served over ice).

• Hendrick’s Orbium Gin ($36/750 ml): Orbium was by far the most complex of the three Hendrick’s gins, with an infusion of quinine, wormwood, and blue lotus blossom (how did they think of that?!) after distillation. It makes for an earthy, bitter, but slightly sweet and fruity gin that is smooth on entry, woodsy on the mid-palate, and complex and somewhat bitter on the finish. I would lean towards using Orbium when gin is the star of the drink and there’s not much else going on – think of a classic martini (gin and dry vermouth, garnished with lemon twists, olives, or cocktail onions).

I learned three things from this impromptu gin tasting. First, I should add more spirits tastings to my regular rotation of wine tastings. Just as tasting wine was the best (and quickest!) way for me to learn to understand and appreciate the different characteristics of wine, tasting spirits side-by-side more often will help me better distinguish among the different styles of spirits, understand my likes and dislikes, and learn how to make the most of them when crafting cocktails. Second, gin is a much more complex spirit than I appreciated before this tasting, and I need to take more time thinking about what style of gin and associated flavor profiles work best with different types of cocktails. Lastly, just as I learned over time how to plan and hold educational and enjoyable wine tastings, I need to learn how to do the same with spirits tastings. I’m sure there’s an art to tasting spirits that includes food and other tricks that doesn’t leave one feeling fatigued and in dire need of a nap (which is where I ended up after this tasting!). I plan to conduct some research on that and will share what I learned with you in a future post.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts on where gin falls for you on the favorite to least favorite spirits scale, and what gin producers you like the most!