Spirited News: Ginfinity 2019

Gin is not dead! Even after years of the gin craze, it is worth taking a look at old and new bottlings. This is why the guys behind Perola thought to host a gin festival in Nuremberg. Obviously, I also had to go there and take a look at the 28 different gin brands. I can tell you already, that it definitely was worth the while.

Even when I am not that interested in gin anymore – which might be a little bit unfair, the chance to try a whole bunch of gin in just one day was intriguing. There definitely were a few surprises. Apart from that we had very nice conversations and discussed a lot about gin. In short, the whole event was awesome!

We started off with the complementary welcome Gin & Tonic made with Brockmans Gin. This is not your average gin, because of its fruity berry notes, but it made a great refresher for this hot summer day.

The father of gin

The first spirit we tried was actually not a gin at all. At the By The Dutch booth Jos Zonneveld told us the difference between genever and gin. This is why we first tried his genever, a mellow, but also malty spirit. I reckon it would make a great Martinez cocktail. It is made with malted barley, corn, rye, juniper, lemon peel, coriander seeds, star-anise, liquorice and orange peel. The light golden colour comes from the addition of a little bit of caramel, as is required by law for an old genever. In contrast to that Jos’s gin is a blend of individual distillates from juniper, blood orange, lemon peel, laurel, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and coriander. In its taste you can find great lorel and blood orange notes, besides a relatively classic gin characteristic. 

Blue gin

At spirits fairs I also like to visit brands I have been working with for a long time. This also is the case with Citadelle Gin by Pierre Ferrand. This time we compared the classic Citadelle Gin with the blue coloured Magellan Gin. While the latter is a more basic version of the Citadelle, it still serves as a great basic gin and makes great Gin Fizz cocktails. On top of that the blue colour is sure to catch the eye. The Citadelle Gin on the other hand, still is a great value for money all-purpose-gin.

A little bit lunatic

The next gin we tried was the first surprise of the festival. To be honest, I was a little bit sceptical about the name and marketing of the Lunatic Gin. The whole moon themed approach seemed a bit esoterically. However, hearing the whole story and especially trying the gin, changed my mind. The gin is distilled with 26 different botanicals and all of them are used in equal proportions. This means that the resulting gin tastes like nothing I have ever tried before. First, I was reminded of a classic juniper forward gin. Yet, after the first sip the gin changed to distinct cacao bean notes. Taking another whiff it had changed again towards intense chamomile notes and something I still cannot put my finger on what it was. If you are a gin nerd and think you have already tried everything, get a bottle of this and you will proofed wrong.

All the citrus notes

After a short “lunch” break at the provided food trucks, we seized the opportunity to try a gin that seems almost omnipresent lately. The Le Tribute Gin is produced by the same distillery as the famous Gin Mare Gin. However, the Le Tribute is made with basically every citrus fruit you can think of. This is why the botanical list features, besides juniper, lemon grass, oranges, lemons, grapefruits, kumquats, mandarins and limes. You can especially try the kumquats in the aroma of the gin. Apart from that, the gin of course also pairs well with the rather dry Le Tribute Tonic Water. The tonic water is made with quinine from the Loja province in Ecuador and lemon grass.

Of cats and gin

Next up, we tried the cat inspired Schrödinger’s Katzen Gin which distilled at the same distillery as Elephant Gin. The botanical list features catnip, blueberries, lemon thyme, juniper, and cubeb. The resulting gin is a classic gin with distinct juniper and spice notes. According to Petra Spamer-Riether, the CEO, the gin works well in all sorts of classic gin cocktails.

We are going to Ibiza

Another surprise for me was the LAW Ibiza Gin. To be honest, I do not necessarily associate Ibiza with gin. Nevertheless, the LAW Gin is made using not only the common juniper but also the Phoenician juniper, as well as cactus figs and pimentos de padron. It is surprisingly complex with fresh citrus notes and a hint of salt.

Liquorice, ginger and gin

The Schumm Gin from Christian Schumm uses liquorice from Bamberg as its “signature botanical”. All in all, the Schumm Gin is comprised of fifteen botanicals, which result in a juniper forward, classic dry gin. Furthermore, Christian Schumm also produces two ginger liqueurs. One made with his gin and another one which swaps the base spirit for Scotch. Both have great hot ginger notes, but the one with Scotch seemed a little bit more complex and interesting.

Bitcoin bloodorange gin

To tell the truth, I first mistook the Satoshi Gin for a Japanese spirit. Yet, the name is an allusion to Satoshi Nakamoto the supposed founder of Bitcoin. The guys behind the gin chose the name, because their gin is supposed to be as precise as an algorithm. The flavour of the spirit is built around Sicilian Moro blood oranges. On top of that, macis are used to bring the blood orange flavour and the juniper notes closer together. Other botanicals are Bourbon pepper, lemon grass, angelica and orris root.

Mint and (almost) tea

At the Skin Gin booth we tried the new Tea Kiss Edititon. It combines the typical strong mint notes of the original Skin Gin with fruit tea notes. Yet, instead of real tea the Tea Kiss uses hibiscus, apple, rose hip and peach. The additional ingredients mean that the mint notes are a little subdued and the flavour really reminds you of a quality fruit tea.

A juniper bomb

Although I already featured the Juniper Jack here on the blog, we chose the gin for our last sip. Joerg is a fantastic guy who told us everything about his gin. With its heavy juniper forward bouquet and taste, supported by herbal and spicy notes, it still is one of my favourite gins! Especially with the new Black Forest Ginger Tonic Water. He also has plans of making a cask aged version. I am very curious to see what he is up to next!

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product.

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product.