National Distillery Company Art Deco Gin

Nose: Mixed citrus (lemon, orange, tangelo, grapefruit) with mild juniper. Palate: Bright citrus flavors on the arrival with mild juniper in support (just like the nose). Soft and easy to drink neat. The texture is creamy. Finish: Medium. Citrus and juniper but it finishes a little sour, although this is ameliorated when the gin is mixed with tonic, which adds sweetness from its sugar content. This was my favorite of the classic London Dry formulations we tried at National Distillery on the day. It had the best balance with a pleasant, spritzy citrus-forward profile and the texture was creamy and satisfying. It worked well with tonic water and I think it would make an interesting modern-style wet martini. I would not describe it as more than an “average” gin but it only misses out on 3 stars by a whisker. The National Distillery has a core range of gins but they also produce many small one-off batches such as this, and I can’t help but wonder if it is at least partly because they are still finding their way and experimenting. Their “house style“ is becoming evident but I think it might take a couple more years of work to nail down. We tried this and the other National Distillery gins that I’m reviewing here at the distillery in Napier, New Zealand, and their tour of the distillery and following tasting was gracious, engaging and very well worth the time and cost. Highly recommended if you happen to be in Napier. “Average”: 79/100 (2.75 stars)