Quaffed the Raven

I know it’s May… but frankly with the weather recently you could easily convince me we were in the run up to Christmas, so I thought I’d review this little bottle before I finish it! There’s not much to be said about it other than it’s an exclusive to ASDA, and it’s from TBGC, presumably both wanting to cash in a little at that special time of year when we’re all told we should spend money on each other in the spirit of giving!

Design

The bottle is just like every other TBGC bottle, but it’s the labels they really go to town on and this one is fair enough given what it is. It’s in the spirit of the market it’s being sold to! There are a few clues as to what other botanicals might be featured though, the glass is garnished with a slice of pink grapefruit studded with cloves, and below an orange, some green cardamom, a bowl of what I’m going to assume is cinnamon, and a pot of something that could be seeds, or chocolate drops!

Nose

On the nose is plenty of juniper, followed by cardamom and some warmer, sweeter spices, as the blurb suggests. There’s a mild, creamy softness to it, but there’s a definite citrus edge there too. It smells good. Nice and clean but with warmth and spice.

Taste

Neat, there’s plenty of juniper. The name and label may be a bit of a gimmick, but it’s still very much a proper gin. The cardamom is a touch sour to my taste, and there’s a fair amount of burn on the tongue, but it’s definitely as described with some warming spices from the cinnamon and cloves, and a tartness from the citrus.

Water brings out the citrus nicely, with orange notes blooming, fresh and sweet. The sweeter spices also come through more strongly, broadening the overall flavour of the gin, without losing any of the depth. The sourness of the cardamom, juniper and grapefruit is also intensified however, and for me that’s the strongest element.

Finally, I fixed myself a festive G&T (Franklin & Sons Natural Indian Tonic) with a slice of orange and a couple of cloves to garnish! It was better than I expected, the sourness was mitigated by the tonic, and especially the orange, while the cloves added a nice extra little kick.

Overall

It’s a reasonable gin, though as my first taste of something from TBGC I can’t deny I’m a little disappointed. For starters I feel it’s significantly overpriced. At nigh on £30 for a 50cl bottle that, let’s face it, is a gimmick, and to be sold in a supermarket that is branded as being cheap, this is not going to match up with the premium gins around the same price point, which makes me very glad I picked it up for £12.50 just before Christmas! Fundamentally though, there’s a rough edge to this gin that nothing quite seems to cover, and unfortunately that’s what I’m left with when I think of it. Still, it’s not so gimmicky that it isn’t still a proper gin, so I’ll give it that!

Add half a feather if you like sour gins.

Gingle All The Way is available only at ASDA (if you can still get it!)

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All reviews are of the author’s personal collection, bought and paid for by the author, unless otherwise stated.