Alkkemist Gin 700ml

Alkkemist Gin 700ml is distilled by the light of the full moon this strikingly presented gin promises one of Europe’s most curious contemporary gin experiences. Produced just twelve times a year in line with ancient agricultural practises, distillation takes place only when the moon is full.

Botanicals

A triple-distilled grain base is run through a copper alembic. Twenty one botanicals run the gamut of gin ingredients: Traditional juniper, coriander, orange rind and lemon rind, samphire, sage, verbena, sweet chamomile, Mahon chamomile, rose petals, balm, rock tea, thyme, fennel, angelica, cardamom, mint, pennyroyal, chenille and agrimonia. Mediterranean muscat grapes (used in the creation of Moscato) are finally added as a kind of a finishing to provide sweet, floral notes. 40% Alc./Vol.

Alkkemist Gin itself

Whatever it is, us professional alcoholics are far more interested in the actual quality of the gin, moon or no. Alkkemist hails from Spain, and if there’s one thing that our Iberian friends take very seriously, it is their gin (and accompanying tonic).

Our initial nosing of the gin revealed softness coupled with complexity. A whiff revealed menthol, spices, pine, anise, cloves, dried citrus peel, and a soft, floral finish of roses and grapes.

On the tongue, the gin was light in body, and was surprisingly soft and quaffable; none of the burning sensation one typically gets from spirit. We got an initial blast of citrus, which then transitioned into creamy sweetener.

Alkkemist Gin Perfect Serve

As we do for gins, we also tried it in a few different cocktails. In a traditional dry martini, this worked quite well. The spirit is already drinkable on its own, so add a bit of vermouth, stir till ice cold and it makes for quite the tasty drink. We’d stick with the lemon garnish for this one to accentuate the citrus flavours; the olive and brine are not particularly good with spice and floral flavours.

In a negroni, Alkkemist was excellent too. The spicy and floral notes are a good match for the Campari and vermouth, though we’d suggest toning down the former, which can overpower the soft spirit.

In a gin and tonic, the Alkkemist needed a bit of work. It did not work particularly well in a traditional gin and tonic (served in a highball glass with a lime wedge). The traditional style of G&T works on the interplay between juniper and lime; the sweet and sour limes work well with spicy and herbal juniper. Since Alkkemist did not have a dominant juniper character, it did not synergise all that well with lime.

Alkkemist Gin Tasting Note