Sweet & Bitter Taste – Boar Gin
A lot of unusual things are used to make gin nowadays! Even such rare delicacies as truffles. Now, you might think that this is something new when in fact there are several truffle gins from all over the world out there. Nevertheless, the Boar Gin is the first one from Germany and the first which will not cost you a fortune! As a big truffle fan, I was very intrigued and just had to try it!
Like a wild boar
You might now ask if it is really necessary to add a scarce delicacy like truffles to gin? And the plain and simple answer would be no. There are a lot of great gins out there which make due without using truffles. Yet, you can also argue that it does not hurt either! Sometimes when you combine things which a great on their own, the result is something even better! Now, critics might mentione the repelling thing that is truffle oil, but in the case of the Boar Gin you do not have to be afraid to get overwhelmed by truffle flavour. The black forest truffle is just used to round off the composition and to give the gin a smoother aftertaste. So, at the second glance the boar does not seem so wild after all! Moreover, if you take a look at the botanicals which are used, you will find that besides black truffles regular herbs and spices are used for the production of this gin. On their website you see coriander, juniper, lavender, lemon peel, pepper and thyme. This leaves me with the impression that the Boar Gin will rather have a classic taste instead of a modern New Western Dry flavour.
Like a walk through the forest
| Boar Gin | |
| Alcohol: | 43 % |
| Price: | 71 € per litre |
| Appearance: | Clear, very small windows, very slow tears |
| Nose: | Orange peel, floral juniper, lavender, pepper, whiff of menthol, spruce needles, hot spices, lemon notes |
| Taste: | Smooth, resin, juniper, pine cones, earthy, peppery spices, slight sweetness, floral lavender, |
| Aftertaste: | Long, with black pepper corns, fir needles and a certain umami flavour; |
| Rating: |  |
Maybe it was a bit rash to call the Boar Gin tamed! Do not get me wrong, the gin is very well produced! It carries the typical gin notes of juniper, lavender and spices in the aroma. However, on the one hand the strong fir, pine and spruce notes in combination with hot and peppery spices make this gin not something you would easily sip neat on a Sunday afternoon. On the other hand the conifer flavour is also what makes the Boar Gin very interesting and sets if apart from other gins. At no point of the taste you get a unpleasant note from the truffle whatsoever. Usually, this would be the point where I would complain about the relatively low ABV of the Boar Gin, but with this flavour profile I am more than confident that it will make great drinks. Yes… when I am talking about drinks I mean Gin & Tonics!
In need of a strong partner
As a proper Gin & Tonic lover you will probably already have guessed it from my tasting notes: You better do not mix the Boar Gin with a light tonic water like 1724 Tonic Water. Instead, head for Fever Tree or Fentimans! When mixing the gin with Fever Tree you will get a very conifer-note heavy G&T. It has all the basic elements of this classic highball you might wish for: There is a clear juniper note, some sweetness and a pronounced, but not too heavy bitterness, also some spices are showing through. It is all in all, very delicious and makes you crave another one!
Not a very original name
Before I even got my hands on the Boar Gin bottle I thought that this would make great Negronis! This is why I decided to create my own Negroni variation using the Boar Gin. The first try was sort of a version of the White Negroni. While it was good and I enjoyed it, I was not completely satisfied with the result and so I went for my second idea. This basically was a Negroni with the Campari switched out for Mondino and I also replaced the sweet vermouth with Cocchi Rosa. Yes, I know I am using the Cocchi Rosa a lot these days! When naming the drink I somehow ran into a few problems: First, I wanted to present both drinks and name them “The Plains / Bitter Dancer” after a Fleet Foxes song. However, when double checking the lyrics I was not happy with the rather bleak connotation of the song. So, I changed it to “Bitter Things” a pun on the Massive Attack song “Better Things”. However, if you do not know the song the name would have seemed very uninspired. Now, I do not know if the name I finally settled on is any better, but at least it very accurately describes the taste of the cocktail.
Garnish: Lime Wheel;
Song: Junip – Sweet And Bitter
The drink starts off with a whiff of fresh lime and then the namesake combination of sweet and bitter flavours. The Cocchi and the Mondino give the drink quite a fruity touch with notes reminiscent of raspberries and other red fruits. After this initial spectrum of flavours, darker and more spicy elements shine through which are dominated by the gin’s conifer flavour. Towards the aftertaste the spicy pepper and chilli notes show themselves and fade out into a prolonged aftertaste.
The Boar Gin definitely is an individual and very interesting gin that is well worth checking out! Its untamed, forest aroma is very complex, but never gets harsh or unpleasant. I recommend mixing any number of classic, gin-heavy cocktails with it and I am sure it will not disappoint!
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product.
