Bathtub gin review and tasting notes of a marvelous spirit
The Bathtub gin is one of the best gins that has ever been made, and it costs less than 40 euros. But it is a distillate that is not afraid to collide even with the big calibers that have dominated the market for years, such as Hendrick’s gin and Monkey 47, thanks to an incredible finesse.
You may be wondering who knows which esoteric and refined botanicals they used to make the Bathtub gin… But there are no tricks. The botanicals are classic: juniper, cardamom, orange peel, cloves, and coriander. Few but good, but two peculiarities make this gin sumptuous and enveloping like few others.
First of all, the thickness and quality of the alcohol, a grain distillate produced with a discontinuous still, the classic copper-pot still, which distills drop by drop.
And then there is the old-fashioned production method, that is, the Bathtub gin is made with cold infusion, so first the alcoholic base is created from fermented wheat must, and then the botanicals are left to infuse. This method is rarely used nowadays because it is more artisanal and less efficient, so much so that the production batches of Bathtub gin are around 80 bottles at a time.
If you want to call it artisan gin, do it: with this bottle, you can.
Organoleptic characteristics of Bathtub gin
The nose is radiant, penetrating, dominated by juniper, which opens in all its resinous splendor, and then the spicy and earthy notes, licorice, roots, earth, anise arrive on tiptoe. The orange peel is the elegant frame that encloses everything and gives balance, designed with painstaking precision. The persistence and intensity are out of the ordinary—refreshing and balsamic bouquet. Smoothly, relentless, concrete, but subtle in phrasing.
On the palate, it is roaring. The juniper explodes like a supernova and then expands endlessly, taking off driven by peppery heat that cuts your tongue transversely. Very often, gins have a vertical development and then fade. This starts from a small resin core and bursts like a Big Bang.
The structure is remarkable. One is as if submerged by the waves of resinous and earthy flavors, but it is never monotonous or overbearing, and it does not border on Plymouth, even if it winks a lot at the genre. Everything is well integrated: the taste of alcohol is tasty, bites, and acts as a skeleton.
It has rhythm. The alcoholic heat gives propulsion, but then fresh flavors of citrus and ginger soothe and bring lighter tones.
In some ways, it is reminiscent of Death’s Door gin, with a lot of pulp, a lot of flab to bite into, and clear nuances carved into an imposing aromatic structure.
Overall, it is a splendid gin. Above all, you can feel the fabric, the monastic attention to detail, and the aesthetic research that wants to make this gin unique, while using classic botanicals.
And here lies the greatness of this distillate, the sartorial cut with which it was expertly packaged, without leaving any detail to chance.
What does Bathtub gin mean?
Since gin was first distilled, legal and improvised distilleries have sprung up like mushrooms. A on gin was imposed in London in 1751 to deter abusive distillers and ensure a minimum of safety for the spirits.
The term Bathtub gin indicates the homemade, unregulated, and highly toxic products that reigned in the United States during Prohibition.
Legend has it that it was common practice to make gin at home in metal bathtubs of the times, and bathtub means bathtub, but in reality, they are nothing more than urban myths.
Beautiful all the packaging of this gin (rough brown paper, sealing wax cap, and string), designed to remember the precious and mysterious products of an ancient apothecary.
Alcohol content
43.3 degrees.
Bathtub gin price
37 to 40 euros: You couldn’t spend 40 euros better even if you had 40 lives.
Cocktail to do with the Bathtub gin
You can also put it in the cappuccino after lunch to make a lysergic White Russian. It is excellent with vermouth and bitters for Negroni, thanks to the earthy flavors. It has the right attitude to hold up in the Dry Martini without problems and is impressive with fruity and delicate cocktails such as Gin Tonic, Paradise, Tom Collins, Heidi, Bramble, Negroni, Gin Fizz, French 75, Tuxedo.