Quaffed the Raven

Mór gin is made at Arderin Distillery in Tullamore and was founded by Eoin Bara in 2015. Eoin’s distilling heritage stretches back to his grandfather, who was a master distiller for an Irish whiskey (presumably Tullamore Dew?!). Having travelled and dedicated himself to refining the skills and experience needed, Eoin wanted to create a gin to expression himself and the legacy of his grandfather.

Design

The bottle is a lovely cylindrical shape, debossed with wavy lines all around, a shallow angled shoulder and medium neck topped with a wooden stopper. Wound up and around the bottle amongst the lines is a long, thin label in black, featuring the same wavy line pattern as the bottle and mostly copper-foil printed text. According to the website, the label wraps around the bottle in the same way the Grand Canal route bends and weaves its way through the heartland of Ireland. Front and centre is the name, origin and classification, amongst other things, then just round on the right is a little blurb about the gin itself. It’s much, much better than any written description could convey. I’m a big fan.

Nose

A smooth and creamy, earthy citrus rises up first before the more classic gin trio of juniper, angelica, and coriander begin to emerge. For me, the citrus is plentiful but very soft and smooth, rather than sharp. I find it a very relaxed aroma, with pleasant hints of leafy greens alongside richer earthy tones and that baseline of citrus. Right at the end there’s a suggestion of curry for me, not enough to latch on to, just a nice slightly aromatic spice addition. It’s not punchy, but it’s very pleasant overall.

Taste

Neat there’s a big push of flavour right away that I’m absolutely loving! There’s a real sweetness to it too, reminiscent of cinnamon and ginger but with a definite vegetal edge at the end. The lime and lemongrass are clearly evident but handled about as well as I’ve ever tasted. I often find lemongrass can cut through too much, giving a strong perfumed element to gin, but here it’s held in check perfectly for my tastes. The cardamom too is done perfectly, giving that slightly sour tang, but again held well in check. Everything is balanced without compromise, providing a remarkable level of flavour, but it’s the sweetness (given the botanicals) I’m truly amazed by. This is delicious.

Water reduces the sweetness slightly and enhances the citrus, but the flavour still remains full and complex. It’s a little more sour, a little more bitter, but not too much and the flavours definitely spread out nicely, allowing the cardamom to come through more. There’s still that sweet aromatic note for me, hinting at cinnamon though I know it’s not there. The earthy tones come out too, along with that slightly vegetal note that leaves a surprisingly pleasant aftertaste.

Finally, a G&T (3:1 Mulberry Creek tonic with a lime wedge to garnish). The result is delicious and tart, with the citrus coming through even more. There are warming, earthy tones carrying a little sweetness that cuts through the citrus and tonic nicely, but I have to say quite a lot of the flavour has receded and is a little harder to explore on the palate. There’s a strong juniper backdrop though, making it a solid G&T. Very nice.

Overall

I think this is a fantastic gin, and it truly stands out when sipped neat. The amount of flavour packed in is remarkable, and for m tastes, that sweetness is incredible. I think fresh orange might have made a better garnish for the G&T, but I also think this gin might be a little wasted with tonic. I am very keen to try this in a martini, where I think it has the potential to be up there with the best. For a gin I picked up on sale, on a whim, I’m blown away. Highly recommended.

Remove half a feather if you prefer your gin bone dry

Mór is available online

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