SPD Gin
Short Path Distillery
Everett, MA
Earlier this year, I wrote about a visit to Short Path Distillery and reviewed their Winter Gin, which I highly recommended. During my visit, I bypassed the signature gin and the gin and tonic flight, so I didn’t get my first taste of SPD Gin till I stopped by Kirkland Tap and Trotter after dinner at the Tasting Counter a few weeks ago. I was excited by it an looked forward to getting my hands on a bottle.
Soon after, Short Path announced they were in need of cocktail tasters. They were looking for about twenty-five booze lovers to taste some new recipes. There was a short online application process that attracted almost two hundred interested imbibers. Thankfully I was selected to be one of the chosen few.
The tasting was centered around their new release of Americano Blanc, an amaro that was being used in place of traditional vermouth in martinis and Manhattans. Before the tasting started I did one of my own, finally getting my hands on the gin flight. They do flights of three or four. The fourth gin would have been winter gin which I know well at his point so I went with three: SPF Gin, Spring Gin, and London Dry. Once again I really enjoyed the SPD Gin and when the evening ended I bought a bottle of it for home.
I am actually surprised that I like this gin. I generally prefer herbal flavors and not floral ones. SPD Gin is dominated by juniper and lavender and accented with coriander, eucalyptus, and lemongrass. The combination makes for a light, fresh gin that goes great in either a martini or a gin and tonic. With tonic, I recommend a 1:3 ratio since the gin has good flavor, but given the low ABV and the smooth character you can easily drop down to 1:2 or even sip on this gin.
I love the packaging at SPD. All their bottles feature different birds, or eggs if they are CSA releases. SPD Gin has the Northern Strike with red lettering and a reddish-orange seal indicating the bottle and batch number. I have batch 67, bottle 21. I only got the half bottle, but it is available in both 750 and 375 ml. Although I buy mine directly from the distillery, you can save a few dollars if you buy through Total Wine.
So I don’t want to seem like I love everything SPD does. Yes, I think they are probably the most exciting local distillery, right now but I’m not as big a fan of the Spring and Summer Gins. I also think their new amaro needs to be more bitter. (Hopefully that will be the next CSA release.) I debated between giving SPD Gin “Recommended” or “Highly Recommended,” but in the end I just like it too much to only recommend it. This is a wonderful gin that I will be drinking often. I probably should have gotten the bigger bottle. Highly Recommended
Gin # 011
Price $23
Proof 86
G&T Ratio 1:3
Website shortpathdistillery.com
Distillers notes: “It all begins with organic ingredients—juniper, coriander, eucalyptus, lavender, and lemongrass. We carefully analyzed the molecular composition of each one before using a gin still to vapor-extract the flavor compounds. Our scientific approach to blending botanicals means you can enjoy the unique, complex character of our signature gin.”
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