Juniper Freak Gin
Gin is juniper or, at the very least, a spirit where juniper is the predominant flavour. A distillery that never lets you forget that is the enterprising Never Never Distilling Co from South Australia, whose products are pure nectar for a juniperphile like me. Juniper Freak Gin is their take on a Navy Strength gin with an ABV of 58%. It is a very clever, sophisticated concoction that manages to belie its strength both on the nose and with its silky smoothness. As they say on the bottle their intention is “to deliver a seriously intense gin because we’re not here to f*** spiders”.
The base to this gin is their flagship Triple Juniper Gin in which juniper goes through three processes in distillation, maceration, boiling, and vapour infusion. Incredibly, that is not enough juniper for Juniper Freak. A pure juniper distillate made from Macedonian juniper goes through the same triple distillation process and is blended with a distilled batch of Triple Juniper Gin, both diluted to 58% ABV. It is a lengthy and complex process, with a touch of the mad scientist about it, but the end result is astonishing. To maintain the consistency of flavours, both the Triple Juniper gin and the juniper distillate are made from the same vintage of junipers.
To add depth and complexity to the spirit eight other botanicals are used – coriander seed, angelica root, orris root, lemon peel, liquorice root, cinnamon, and Australian pepper berry. They all have been especially selected to enhance and promote the juniper rather than to hide it. After all, this is first and foremost a homage to the juniper berry.
On the nose, it does not smell like a strong spirit where the whiff of alcohol obliterates everything else. Instead there is a wonderful overpowering aroma of piney, fresh juniper with a hint of lime and pepper in the background. In the glass the spirit is clear when poured neat but louches to a cloudy consistency with the addition of a premium tonic due to its high concentration of essential oils.
What surprised me is that for an uber-strong gin it is remarkably smooth and silky, inviting itself to be lovingly caressed around the mouth so that the spirit with all its subtleties and complexities can be savoured. Naturally, there is a heavy hit of wonderfully flavoursome juniper, but the flavours of coriander and lime are also detectable.
The aftertaste with a hint of sweetness from the cinnamon and a spicy tingle from the pepper berries is long, probably the longest I have tasted from a gin. It leaves a glorious souvenir in the mouth of a wonderful gin, but also poses something of a dilemma. Do I just enjoy the mellow glow in my mouth or do I take another sip? The answer is obvious, but this is a gin to be savoured rather than rushed, the epitome of the distiller’s craft.
The 50cl bottle uses the same design as Never Never’s other gins, although the dominant background colour is purple, so you do not mix them up. In comparison with other distillers the design is a little underwhelming but when your product is as good as this, anything else seems rather superficial. One to seek out.
Until next time, cheers!
