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Gin Review: Rock Rose Gin – The Full Range (Almost)

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The one with almost everything…

 

I first reviewed Rock Rose Gin, way back in 2015 – I enjoyed it as much then as I do now. But it’s been four years, and since then they’ve grown their range considerably. Now we have seasonal gins, a vodka and an Old Tom Gin.

And again, this revisit to Rock Rose has been a bit of a while in the making. I was lucky enough to work on a stand featuring all the spirits below, over in Liverpool. a couple of months ago. But given there are six spirits, and I wanted to do their tasting notes in close proximity for comparison… I mean, it’s a lot. And my notes get a little wobbly after a couple. So as I say, it’s taken me longer than I’d have wanted.

And yet still, there are a couple of spirits missing. The Rock Rose Gin family also has a Navy Strength Gin, and the seasonal selection also has a Spring gin, whilst the Holy Grass Vodka family now includes a Cold Brew vodka.

I’m going to need to go shopping.

But for now, I’ve reviewed six of the entire range. Hopefully when I can get hold of the others, I’ll add them to this post.

Rock Rose Gin, and Holy Grass Vodka, are made by Dunnet Bay Distillers based in Caithness in Scotland. It began as a husband and wife team Martin and Claire, ably assisted by their pup George in 2014.  Martin had a history as an engineer in the oil and gas industry (making him very handy when it came to setting up the distillery in the first place), and both had brewed and distilled during their university days.

Since their launch, they now have a further five people on team including Dr Hanna, the gardener, who has a hand in the botanicals, grown in the geodome on site at the distillery.

All their gins are made in their gorgeous still, Elizabeth, custom made by John Dore – a British company whose stills can be found in Langleys Distillery (dating back to 1903), Thames Distillery, and even all the way over in St Lucia (St Lucia Distillers Rum).

Enough geekery for now, let’s start tasting, and I’ll begin with the original.

Rock Rose Gin:

The original Rock Rose Gin features 18 botanicals. Along with some botanicals you’d perhaps expect to see – juniper, coriander, cardamom – come a few you wouldn’t, including the gin’s namesake, rock rose. Rock rose (rhodiola rosea – also known as  arctic root or golden root) grows local to the distillery, and has a bit of a history to it. It was used as a medicine by the Vikings, Romans, Russians, and Chinese. It allegedly (there have been studies done, but no proof of it’s efficacy) can help with stamina, and recovery time, rather useful for Viking invaders.

Oh and in case you were wondering, because it looks nothing like a rose, it gets its name from the fact that it releases a rosy scent when cut.

The other botanicals include verbena, blaeberries, sea buckthorn, and rowan berries, which adds to the fruity, citrus elements in the gin. All the botanicals are added via a vapour basket situated in the neck of the still.

On the nose, neat, there’s a sweetness, hints of citrus, and soft florals. On the palate, it’s got a good round mouthfeel, sweetness, a slight berry sourness, then the herbal notes kick in, alone with the piney juniper notes.

In a G&T, the nose is all juniper, herbal notes and a hint of soft citrus. One the palate, there’s citrus at the back of the palate, gently mouthwatering with a slight sourness, but in a good way. Then comes the pine and herbal notes, earthy juniper.

Old Tom Gin Pink Grapefruit

An Old Tom Gin, is usually a rather citrus led gin, that came into existence in the 18th Century. The name Old Tom Gin allegedly has it’s history in the wooden plaques shaped like a black cat, that were on the outside walls of some pubs in England. After the Gin Craze (when we liked gin just a little too much) the government tried (repeatedly) to introduce taxes and licensing to reduce our access to it. To be fair, it was overly cheap, had a high ABV and far too readily available. This of course, drove producers underground, hence the secret symbol. Under the sign was a slot for you to pop in some money, and a lead tube to dispense the gin.

The Rock Rose Old Tom Gin uses pink grapefruit, which adds a distinctively floral bitterness to the gin. Neat, the nose has the sweetness and all the citrus you’d expect from an Old Tom Gin. The palate has a touch more sweetness than the original Rock Rose Gin thanks to the little bit of Muscovado sugar they add after distillation, but it’s not a sweet gin. It’s still got lost of juniper, the florals you’d expect from Rock Rose, a little vanilla, and right at the finish a bite of grapefruit bitterness. In a G&T it’s all refreshing citrus, that grapefruit zestiness cutting through – meaning it would be ideal for the summer.

Holy Grass Vodka

Before we even start with this, I’m going to say I’m not a massive vodka fan. I enjoy it, and there are a couple that I rate rather highly, but I’ll usually reach for the gin first. Holy Grass Vodka is gorgeous, and I can highly recommend it in a gently dry Martini, as I experienced at Red Door in Liverpool. It’s a bit gorgeous.

To the vodka itself, holy grass grows on the banks of the Thurso River again local to the distillery (though it’s worth noting that the grass on site is protected and they have to source it from elsewhere!). When walked on, holy grass emits a fragrance similar to chamomile, so it makes it ideal for use in in a vodka. To emphasise those flavours, the distillery also infuses the vodka with Highland apple vapour and apple juice.

On the nose, this has hints of vanilla, apple, and chamomile – but the chamomile note is soft, and doesn’t have the same oiliness that the herb itself has. On the palate too, it’s similar, but not quite the same, it doesn’t have the same powdery note. The apple is there, but it’s a whisper, instead you get more soft vanilla, a little sweetness. It’s going on the list of favourite vodkas.

Now we move onto the seasonal editions. Each edition evokes memories of the season – I hope to add Spring at some point (if I can get hold of some!), but for now, let’s skip ahead to Summer.

Rock Rose Summer Edition:

For this, the distillery set themselves a challenge – make a citrus led gin using botanicals growing in the distillery gardens and with no citrus peels.  The key botanicals added to this are lemon balm, clover, lemon thyme, pineapple sage, meadowsweet and elderflower. The result is a light soft, gin, with citrus and florals. It makes me think of rolling meadows, tall grasses, and climbing trees.

Neat, on the nose, this it’s soft, light, sweet, floral, hints of apple. On the palate there is lot of citrus, the soft mouthfeel you expect, and layers of herbals. I can even pick out the clover! I suspect it would also be gorgeous in a Martini, much like the vodka. 

In a G&T, please take it easy with the tonic, this gin has such a soft nature, it’s easy to overdo it. The juniper sits at the back, the dominant note, but light soft florals come into play with lots of citrus notes, lemongrass, thyme.

Rock Rose Autumn Edition:

For  Autumn, think earthy soft, fruits, autumn leaves and soft winds. This edition was distilled using their traditional Rock Rose botanicals, with a few extras including blackberries and raspberries, blaeberries, and Vietnamese coriander and nasturtium flowers.

Neat, the earthiness comes through softened by the fruit, all of which comes through on the palate, with hints of spice at the end. It’s hard to move away from the idea of kicking through Autumn leaves as you sip this. With a little tonic, more of the fruit and spice comes out, both on the nose, and the palate. It softens the edges a little more, the earthiness gets toned down a touch.

Rock Rose Winter Edition:

Onto the final seasonal edition, and it makes me think of cold hard frosts, Christmas wreaths and  bare trees. In this spirit, the same botanicals as their signature gin are used, but are toned down somewhat to showcase the spruce tips that were foraged and used in the distillation.

Neat, is all pine, with the juniper adding layers to it. The citrus is still there, but it comes through as somewhat softer compared to the bright pine. The palate is lovely and pine led, the citrus is there, and the pine brings out a peppery note that keeps everything almost crunchy clean.

In a G&T it’s softened, but still a proper pine/juniper led gin. The pine freshness, makes me want to curl up in front of a fire with a blanket and dream of snowbound cabins.

So there you have it, as many spirits from Dunnet Bay as I’ve been able to get my mitts on!

Click to view slideshow.

The post Gin Review: Rock Rose Gin – The Full Range (Almost) appeared first on Gin Fuelled Bluestocking.


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