Malfy Gin Con Arancia

Nose: Very aromatic with orange, tangerine, and grapefruit notes, plus a sweeter scent like rose hip or hibiscus tea. The aroma is the highlight of this gin. Palate: Quite hot and sharp at first with sweet and bitter orange combined. Peppery juniper flavors emerge later with licorice and seed spices. The texture feels lighter than the unflavored Malfy gin. Finish: Medium/Short. Spicy. This isn't really suited for sipping neat and has a harsh, biting quality when unmixed. I hoped it would do better in a gin & tonic, but my dreams of a refreshing drink on a hot day were cruelly dashed. It tastes like dishwashing liquid and sweat. A friend had one sip, made a face, and said “cleaning product quality”. Yep. Tasted from a 50ml sample, one of a pack of four Malfy Gins. I honestly would never consider buying this, and neither should you. The original Malfy is so good… how is it that this is so bad? “Inferior”: 65/100 (1.5 stars)

I'm still working on my gin palate. This definitely smells like Blood Orange initially, but it's quickly overtaken by the typical juniper aromas expected from gin. The color was concerning as it appears unnatural, but the taste isn't too bad. It's not overwhelmingly strong with standard gin flavors, yet I wouldn't say there's a lot of blood orange flavor either, just a hint. I do get a noticeable taste of licking stainless steel (don't ask) and perhaps some fleeting notes of peach skin?

80 Nose: Red orange with sweetness and a hint of pepper 21 Taste: Quite smooth, but a bit alcoholic at the end, light juniper, orange peel; less pronounced in taste compared to the strong aroma 20 Finish: Medium, slightly alcoholic, light orange peel, but the finish is more alcoholic 19 Overall: Interesting, smells nice, but quite alcoholic and a bit artificially orange 20

A beautiful and vibrant gin with a subtle hint of blood orange. This gin clearly lacks juniper, offering a smooth, sea-air salty sweetness that is well-rounded and balanced. The faint sweetness of blood orange rounds out the palate, making it excellent for sipping or as a base for flavored cocktails. Well done Malfy!!

I'm fortunate to have recently tried some excellent New Zealand gins, many small-batch ones made for the season. This isn't one of them. The taste is bland and artificial (as is the color). I'll be adding a good New Zealand tonic to save this one.

Rather astringent, I think it's better suited as a mixer. A nice natural orange flavor that comes through well in mixed drinks.