Moonshiner Lennox Street Nocino Walnut Gin

Appearance: Deep reddish-brown. Nearly opaque when held to a strong light. The edge shows a slight cloudiness, suggesting tiny particles are suspended within. Aroma: Notes of coffee, chocolate, vanilla, dried dates, with a subtle touch of aromatic spices and citrus. Flavor & Texture: Begins sweet with hints of toffee and vanilla. Later on the palate, dried fruit, chocolate, and warming spices emerge. It has a substantial texture, but it's not thick or syrupy. The alcohol is most noticeable in the finish and aftertaste as a pleasant warmth, but it's very well-managed. A slight bitterness develops as it sits on the palate, but this too is well-controlled. This micro-distillery is situated in a small, two-room establishment on a busy street between Sydney's Newtown and Marrickville neighborhoods. The front area features a nice little tasting space, a display of bottles, and a sales counter, while the back room is where the distilling happens. It's charming, unpretentious, and I was immediately fond of it. We sampled four different gins and were given a complimentary pour of this nocino walnut gin, which we enjoyed enough to purchase a 100ml bottle to try again later. We also bought a large bottle of their Aussie Native and Signature gins (reviews coming soon). This distillery is a joint effort between four gin enthusiasts who began by making compounded gin and have since moved on to distilled spirits. The still was custom-made, and much of the distillery was self-constructed, which is impressive to witness. On their website, they recommend enjoying this nocino gin with tonic, but I didn't find that pairing particularly successful. While it's not excessively sweet, it strikes me as being as much a liqueur as a flavored gin, and my preferred way to enjoy it is as a digestif alongside a cup of black coffee. Its flavor profile is more akin to coffee liqueurs than any gin I can recall. The price listed below is for a 500ml bottle, but the 100ml sample we acquired cost $15.00. “Above Average”: 82/100 (3.25 stars)