Priyanko Sarkar is the Founder Editor of Gurgl.in. He has…
There was a slight nip in the air. Mumbai was showing that it could welcome winter after all. Not that it was sweater season but the appointment to show up and taste six gins was all the excuse one needed to step out and beat the chill with half a dozen gins up for tasting along with some delicious cocktails.
Sommelier and CEO of All Things Nice Nikhil Agarwal organised six gins for a tasting session in collaboration with Sofitel Mumbai BKC. The gin tasting was as below:
Hendricks Gin –
Hendricks Gin, with a toned-down juniper flavour, allowed its floral notes and citrusy aftertaste to shine through and was a great choice to start the tasting with. The gin made for easy-going drinking without any additions.
Boodles Gin –
Boodles Gin is known to be juniper-forward along with a prominent angelica note that blends with its citrusy-sweetly spice finish. While that might sound complex, the gin itself was quite smooth and made for a nice full-bodied finish with the tasting portion.
Edinburgh Seaside Gin –
This one was one of the most anticipated gins, given the addition of seaweed in it. It’s not an ingredient or botanical usually associated with gins, making it the most interesting tasting gin at the session. Its light minerality and slight salinity was a refreshing change and made the Edinburgh Seaside Gin something worth sipping slowly to savour its distinct taste.
With the explosion in Indian gins all through 2020, it would be quite remiss to not have any local gins at the session. Pumori was one of the most exciting launches from last year and the tasting session also saw the presence of Aman Thadani, the force behind Woodburns Whisky and Pumori Small Batch Gin, who took the attendees through the best way of appreciating his gin. The strategy paid off and found many takers appreciating the latest gin to hit Mumbai.
Hapusa Gin –
The premium variant of Nao Spirits that also has Greater Than in its portfolio, Hapusa Gin is one that finds fans wherever it goes. Its bold flavours and full-bodied finish ensures that Hapusa thrives as a sipping gin with nothing else needed to complement its superb taste and flavour. Little wonder then that Hapusa received many encouraging nods while being tasted.
Greater Than Gin –
The OG Indian gin that put the nation on a gin-spree and one that still stands apart with its clean use of juniper and gingery finish on the palate, Greater Than is one gin that almost everybody would have tasted by now in its over three years of existence. A familiar and welcome addition to the other five gins being tasted, Greater Than made sure of making a case for itself at the tasting.
The session also had some interesting gin cocktails and gin-inspired small bites curated by Executive Chef Neeraj Rawoot of Sofitel Mumbai BKC. The gin tasting session was the first in-person event we attended post-pandemic and we couldn’t have asked for a better start to the ‘new normal’ that we’re all getting accustomed to.
Priyanko Sarkar is the Founder Editor of Gurgl.in. He has been a writer for over 15 years and this site is his attempt to document India's growing beverage sector with impactful and interesting stories. His favourite drink is Vietnamese Coffee and his favourite spirit is Turkish Raki.
