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Posts Tagged ‘March Lion’

Review: Compass Distillers Gin Wild

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 19, 2020

Compass Distillers is located in Halifax Nova Scotia, where Graham, Josh, and David began their distilling journey with a belief that they could create world-class spirits locally. Their artisan Craft Spirits are not imported, they are not blended with generic ingredients, nor are they pumped out of a factory; Rather, they are made from scratch, with locally sourced ingredients.

Gin Wild is Compass Distillers version of a classic gin with a Nova Scotian twist. Constructed from a base spirit of 100% Nova Scotian wheat, the gin is distilled with a blend of classic gin botanicals,with wild Nova Scotian juniper given the starring role. This juniper is handpicked from the rocky barrens of the Nova Scotia coastline. The rugged shores and climate impart a strong character to the berry. Other botanicals include orange, lemon, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cilantro & ginger.

Here is a link to my latest gin review:

Review: Compass Distillers Gin Wild

“… The nose translates extremely well across the palate as we do indeed have a bit of an edge on the juniper and with firm peppery spices (coriander and hints of ginger) chasing. Orange and lemon flavours play underneath softening the flavour just a little and bringing balance. Hill side florals trail merrily along …”

Please enjoy my review which includes two serving suggestion, the Red Lion, and the March Lion.

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Gin and Tonic Challenge – Citadelle Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 16, 2014

Citadelle and Tonic SAM_1243Citadelle Gin has a history which stretches back to 1775 when King Louis XVI authorized two Frenchmen, Carpeau and Stival, to open a genievre distillery at the Citadelle in Dunkirk, which would serve as the Royal Distillery with an exclusive 20 year privilege. The Citadelle Distillery produced about 1000 litres of genievre per day which was predominantly shipped in small casks for sale in England, where gin was very popular.

About 200 years later in 1989,  Alexandre Gabriel of Cognac Ferrand, recognized that in France, gin had become more of an industrial spirit with much of the heritage and refinement lessened by time. He decided to create a handcrafted gin using small copper pots in the style and tradition of the Citadelle Distillery of old. Fortunately records existed of the old gin making techniques at the Citadelle Distillery, and after several years of research Alexandre was successful in distilling an old style handcrafted gin under the Citadelle name at the Cognac Ferrand facilities in Cognac, France.

When I reviewed Citadelle Gin, I noted how well-balanced the flavour was in particular how the spicy cardamom and coriander seemed to play so nicely with the strong push of bitter juniper. This combination resulted in some fantastic cocktails including a recipe I designed called the March Lion. The strong balanced flavours also results in a fantastic Gin and Tonic!

My G&T Score for the Citadelle and Tonic based on my standard cocktail is 89/100.

Just so you do not have to keep track of these scores yourself, I have constructed a separate page to keep a running tally of all scores as they are published, and you may refer to that page here;

Rum Howler 2014 Gin and Tonic Challenge

As well you may read my published review of Citadelle Gin here:

Review: Citadelle Gin

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Posted in Awards, Extras, Gin, Gin Review | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Review: Citadelle Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 10, 2013

SAM_0635 Citadelle

Citadelle Gin has a history which stretches back to 1775 when King Louis XVI authorized two Frenchmen, Carpeau and Stival, to open a genievre distillery at the Citadelle in Dunkirk, which would serve as the Royal Distillery with an exclusive 20 year privilege. The Citadelle Distillery produced about 1000 litres of genievre per day which was predominantly shipped in small casks for sale in England, where gin was very popular.

Cognac Ferrand, recognized that in France, gin had become more of an industrial spirit with much of its original heritage and refinement lessened by time. They decided to create a handcrafted gin using small copper pots in the style and tradition of the Citadelle Distillery of old. Fortunately, records existed of the old gin making techniques at the Citadelle Distillery, and after several years of research Alexandre Gabriel was successful in distilling an old style handcrafted gin under the Citadelle name at the Cognac Ferrand facilities in Cognac, France.

Please click on the following excerpt to read the full review which contains a fantastic cocktail recommendation, The March Lion.

Review: Citadelle Gin

“… The initial scents from the glass reveal a fair amount of juniper with hints of the other botanicals reaching my nostrils. Over time, the lightly spicy scent of cardamom appears giving the glass a light effervescent character. The juniper and cardamom are then joined by floral accents (mainly lilac) and a light lemony citrus. There is much more … “

Please enjoy the review, and do try my new March Lion Cocktail.

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