Two more gins take us to the verge of closing out Advent Gin, which has been an rewarding exercise in tasting and comparing (albeit at some remove in time; I haven’t done any side-by-sides since that one night in Glasgow).
Twenty-two down, three to go. Today’s Advent Gin is Mayfield Sussex Hop Gin, featuring a local variety of hops among the eight botanicals. First sip signals a straight gin, astringent but not harsh. Next sips open up to citrus (not bitter), and some subtle floral notes. I must be missing the hops; either that, or they blend with the citrus or the floral subtext. I don’t detect the pine that descriptions suggested. Rather, this appeals to me as a strong G&T gin, with citrus balancing the herbal notes, and a very delicate floral background. I think I’m picking up the hops, now, very lightlyat the finish. Nice.
I take Mayfield Sussex Hop to do a gin’s job well. Distillers sometimes seem to invent so many prizes that *everybody* gets one or more; Mayfield claims no gold, silver, or bronze, but the gin stands up for itself, a sturdy juniper with citrus backing and floral notes, and hops.
Next to last day of Advent Gin opens a wee bottle of Nikka Coffey Gin, another gin from Japan. Coffey begins with a lime-forward taste, overshadowing the juniper by a long measure. (I say ‘lime’, but there are other Japanese citruses in the botanicals, so I may be neglecting fruits I never tasted.) The citrus carries through to a distinctly bitter, almost mineral finish. The combination intrigues me; the opening invites me to linger over the taste, but longer I let it develop on my palate, the more dissonant the chord of constituent notes.
On the whole, I’d wish a clearer juniper base, and a gentler release from the sip. The citrus doesn’t fit squarely (to my tongue) with either the juniper it dominates or the astringent botanicals from which it retreats. My sense is that a sturdier juniper spine could support the transition from the prominent fruit opening to the botanical finish.