Applewood Gin of Gluttony (500ml)

Applewood’s 7th in a series is arguably their most creative Gin to-date, best described in their own words according to the rather in depth production method.

If you've ever had the pleasure of a fat-washed spirit or cocktail, you know the depths of flavour that can be achieved using this novel method...but Applewood wanted to know what happened if you flavoured that fat even more. The science is actually quite sound - for many years, perfumeries have been capturing the most delicate aromas in a process called enfleurage - a process where a wax (or fat) is used to diffuse via saturation, the most fleeting of aromatic compounds that simply cannot be extracted via distillation.

Applewood have always toyed with the idea of capturing smoke in a Gin, but they didn't want to weigh the entire blend down with an overt ashy-ness. They also struggled with the idea of using high strength spirits near anything producing smoke...so bacon fat became their vehicle for flavour.

Working with local Gumeracha Gourmet Meats - they rendered some bacon fat then hot-smoked it. They then prepared a Gin-base with a mandatory double-dose of Juniper - a bunch of richness from Oak Chips, Cocoa Nibs, Vanilla, Macadamia and a bunch of Fresh Orange Peel - then brought it together with heavy-handed proportions of Gentian Root and Cinnamon.

After a low-and-slow distillation to retain the richest of characters, they melted the bacon fat - and added it to the entire batch of Gin, mixing vigorously. An overnight stint in the freezer solidified the fat - and a crystal clear liquid was decanted off the top...only this time - with all the aromatic power that smoked bacon can deliver… If that wasn't enough - they tipped a couple bottles of Canada's finest Maple Syrup into the mixture! 43% Alc./Vol. Very limited stocks.

Tasting note: Pale straw colour. Opens semi-sweet, cough lozenge-like, becoming more sappy / resiny after brief exposure. Second pass accents orange zest, hints of wood smoke and piney freshness. A silky, viscous gin that unfolds in stages: first appropriately gin-like with citrus peel and botanicals to the fore, then turning semi-sweet, oily, textural. Drier in the closing phase offering traces of vanilla, cinnamon and late butter menthol lozenge. Trace juniper balances the whole. Fascinating, multi-faceted gin with references to aged tequila. 43% Alc./Vol.