Tasting notes on Tempo Toronto’s 4 favourite gins

Did you think that gin was gin, and they all taste the same. Not so.

The classic martini ingredient, we decided to put three through their paces to see if our palettes were sensitive enough to discern subtle differences. Then we added another that we couldn’t resist. The English background of a couple of our reviewers gave them a claim to being automatic gin connoisseurs. You be the judge.

Guess what? The differences aren’t subtle at all. These premium gins are all great beverage bases, but each has its own character.

Bombay Sapphire: Classic light citrus flavour with herby complexity, great on its own and a perfect base for a dry martini. Good with olives, but also perfect with a twist.

Bulldog: We tried this with a port rinse – a splash of port swirled in the glass and poured straight back out. It is indeed a rich, smooth and complex gin which is best paired with something else to complement it, like olives and a hint of dry vermouth.

Tanqueray 10: We’d been meaning to try this one for ages, but never did until now. What a flavour surprise! It is unbelievably smooth with rich florals. We dropped in a tiny sprig of baby purple basil which was a perfect complement. It also goes well with Noilly Prat as a different kind of martini from Martini Dry Vermouth.

Hendricks: This fourth one, a perfectly dry and superb gin, was slipped into the tasting after the photo session. It’s slightly – and pleasantly – bitter on the finish, best for the driest of dry martinis, and also goes really well heavily chilled with just a slice of cucumber dropped into the bottom of the glass. Yes, try it!

(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...