Loch & Union American Dry Gin Review

Jim Knudsen -

BOTTLE DETAILS

  • DISTILLER: Loch & Union, Napa Valley, California
  • MASH BILL: Grain Neutral Spirits, distilled with 12 botanicals
  • AGE: Unaged
  • YEAR: 2017
  • PROOF: 94.4 (47.2% ABV)
  • MSRP: $42.95
  • BUY ONLINE: Wine-Searcher.com

JIM'S NOTES

NOSE: Light gin nose | Juniper | Sweet citrus | Subtle earthy notes

TASTE: Nice and light juniper forward | Citrus and vanilla sweetness mid-pallet | Nutmeg and earthy spices

FINISH: Somewhat long yet soft finish, the sweetness persists but not unpleasantly. Despite the somewhat higher than typical proof the burn is light and not over powering.

SHARE WITH: This is a new craft gin you can share with gin enthusiasts and casual drinkers. I would suggest sharing early in the evening, since it has a lighter smooth flavor. Not to be overpowered with some of the botanicals heavy selections available today.

WORTH THE PRICE: At $42.95 it is almost cheap when we bourbon drinkers consider the current price points. For a craft gin, it seems to be a reasonable price.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: We all seem to recommend trying spirits at a bar first. Unless you are in or visiting the Napa or Los Angeles area, it’s not an option. I am confident, if you (like me) are a fan of London dry gin, you would not be disappointed in buying a bottle. As a bonus, the bottle is particularly attractive and should create interest in anyone’s home bar.

OVERALL: I am very much a gin enthusiast, with multiple selections in my bunker. I sampled the Loch & Union in a Glen Cairn glass neat, with a drop of water and with ice. I prefer it full strength since the lightness of flavor comes out best on its own. I also tried it in a martini (made properly as below). I enjoyed it and recommend a twist over an olive to enhance the citrus notes. It also works well in a Negroni, although the Campari and Vermouth do tend to dominate. Finally, I would not recommend it with tonic, there are other choices which simply work better.

HOW TO MAKE A PROPER MARTINI:

Ingredients:

  • Dry Gin
  • Dry Vermouth
  • Olives (pimento or blue cheese filled is acceptable) or Orange Twist

Recipe:

  1. Fill your martini glass with crushed ice and some water to cool it while you are making the martini. If you prefer your martini on the rocks, stop reading you already failed.
  2. In a cocktail shaker fill about halfway with ice.
  3. Pour in enough vermouth to coat the ice, swirl and strain out the liquid.
  4. Pour in approximately 2 oz. of your favorite dry gin.
  5. Using a bar spoon stir with the ice (with all due respect to James Bond, NOT SHAKEN).
  6. Dump the water from your martini glass and strain the mix into the glass
  7. Garnish with olives or a twist.

Option: You can add a small amount of olive juice before mixing for a “dirty” martini, but frankly I don’t consider this proper.  I do not recommend ordering a dirty martini in any but the best cocktail bars unless you like old olive juice more than gin.

BRAND NOTES

THE BOTANICALS

OUR SECRET INGREDIENTS

We’ve been lucky to work with T.C. Bauer, a spice firm from Chicago with decades of experience sourcing ingredients for high-end cooking and perfuming companies around the world. All the botanicals in our gins are sourced directly from the producers themselves and we have contracts for future supplies to ensure we maintain the same level of quality batch after batch, year after year.

AMERICAN DRY GIN

CLASSIC DRY GIN

This is our take on a classic dry gin, with an American twist. Starting with a neutral grain spirit base, we combine twelve botanicals to create a clean, balanced spirit layered with complexity. The traditional evergreen backbone from the juniper leads into warming spice, floral and citrus notes all in perfect harmony.

"Gin has many styles and variations and every distiller has their own way of doing things, like Grandma who swears by her apple pie. We’ve taken inspiration from the classics and made them our own."
Loch & Union

Disclaimer: Loch & Union provided Bourbon & Banter with a sample of their product for this review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.