Blackwoods Vintage Dry Gin

Now it isn't often that one associates the word "vintage" with gin. Vintage is usually reserved to those alcohols that experience seasonal variations that provide distinctive nuances in flavour, so it is with some shock that I discovered a gin that claims the vintage title.

Blackwoods is a Scottish gin that states its botanicals are "hand picked" from the Shetland countryside during Scotland short summers in a manner that preserves the local environment. The seasonal variation in the quality of the ingredients (such as caused by an either dry or humid summer) is what leads to distinct differences in the flavours between years.

Currently I have found 2005 vintage on the shelves but if one is to go by the website, the 2006 vintage (it was a foggy summer) is better.

Though I have not tried this gin yet, it appears to lean to the sweeter side with sea pink flowers, wild water mint, meadowsweet, coriander and liquorice making up some of it's more prominent botanicals.

This definitely is a gin to keep an eye on.