The non-whisky booze for the Emakina whisky tasting were decided to be at least a gin because of it being an explicit request. The other one was a mezcal that’ll be reviewed somewhere down the line. I’m thinking to keep it for a mezcal theme week or so.

We browsed the site of The Whisky Exchange for a while before settling on this one. Mostly because of the craft distillery that does everything by themselves. Also, their base alcohol is made from apples, which I found surprisingly English and interesting.

The Chase Distillery in Herefordshire was a potato farm at first until their potatoes were turned down by shops because they weren’t pretty enough. They started making crisps after that, and eventually turned to apple farming and distilling.

In a way they make cider first, and then distill it to become their apple vodka. They add 11 botanicals upon redistilling. I like them not adding a million different things which seems to be popular with quite some distilleries.

Obviously one of them is juniper but there’s also coriander, licorice, orange, lemon and even hops. They’ve used restraint since I didn’t notice the hops and that generally a pungent scent and flavor.

Sniff:
The nose is very crisp, more so than I’m used to. There’s green apples and pear with some white flowers. Lilies or so. Not spicy at all, and it does get a little bit sweeter after a couple of minutes.

Sip:
The palate is rather sharp and you notice the higher ABV. There’s apples and straw. Quite rich and slightly more syrupy than I expected. Some citrus and ripe pear. Coriander too (I wrote that before I checked their website…). I thought I tasted mint too.

Swallow:
The finish is more smooth and gentle with apples, straw, grass. Quite long for a gin.

This is a delicious gin. One of my favorites for sure and I love it’s straight forwardness with not too many weird flavors but a rather simple, but gorgeous palate. The increased ABV might work wonders in a Gin and Tonic, but on its own it’s a bit harsh and packs quite a punch.

In the Netherlands this bottle will set you back some 35 bucks, and it’s slightly more expensive in the UK (what isn’t…). But yeah, it’s worth it. Good stuff!

Oh, and it comes with a bow tie.

Williams Chase Elegant Gin, 48%. £ 33.95 at The Whisky Exchange