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Gin Notes: Martin Miller's Reformed London Dry Gin |
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Filed under: Lush Life, Gin, Raves & Reviews, Trends, Happy Hour, Europe, Spirits  Martin Miller's Reformed London Dry Gin is 40%abv/80proof. It comes in a unusual six sided bottle with a curved back which has a map of the North Atlantic on it. I don't know what they mean by "Reformed" so I went to their website to find out, but it is down until 12/06/2006. Maybe we can find out then. The gin is distilled in a old copper pot still that has been in use for well over a century, making Miller's a single batch at a time. The botanicals are juniper, cinnamon, cassia, iris, licorice, orange peel, coriander seed, angelica seed, and nutmeg among others including one special secret ingredient that supposedly isn't even known by the master distiller. More on the secret ingredient later. The 92% alcohol gin is then shipped off to Iceland where it is cut with pure glacier fed spring water down to either 40%abd/80proof or a higher octane version called Martin Miller's Westbourne Strength Gin at 45.2%abv/90.4proof. I only tried the 80proof version.
The aroma is soft and creamy, hints of juniper, spice, and cucumber. The taste is extremely soft, smooth, and creamy with an elegant and surprising taste. Besides the normal notes of juniper, herbs and spices, and floral notes there was a strong presence of cucumber. So much so that I felt like I was lying in a cucumber patch in the summer sun and noshing on fresh picked cukes while sipping the gin. I have to think that cucumber must be the secret ingredient since I have never tasted such a strong essence of cucumber before.This is either a sipping gin, straight or on the rocks, or maybe in a martini. It most definitely isn't a mixing gin unless you are going to follow up on the savory notes. It completely clashed and crashed in a GnT. I liked this gin and its unusual taste and did several different nights of tastings. Everyone has different tolerances for alcohol and spirits. Some people can drink tequila all night long and are fine, others are ill after just a shot or two. Each day following an evening of Miller's I had a full body hangover. No headache, I just felt run down and mildly beat up. An experience I haven't had with other gins before. Of course this was just my experience and others with me had no such problem. I would gladly have some Miller's again, but I won't ever make a whole night of it.Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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