Rat Bastard Gin

11: The aroma is surprisingly vegetal, yet bitter and somewhat like Copper Fox Rye a little. There's something sweet and floral in a cloying but not vanilla-like way that I'm struggling to identify. Not a very complex or a super appealing aroma, but it's somewhat interesting. The palate is initially clean and sweet with no heat, but then some strong juniper bitterness emerges. There's plenty of cucumber flavor throughout. The body is moderately viscous, and there's a numbing sensation that persists at the end. It isn't bad, but it is fairly straightforward. It's interesting that it's distilled from grapes because it has a bit of that clean flavor of grappa with the cucumber and sweetness, but it lacks the unpleasant bread notes. So it's not as bad as grappa, at least. It's a bit interesting, but is otherwise not very good. The flavor is mostly clean with a bit of dry gin. It isn't as interesting or well-executed as Voyager is. I believe it's largely grape distillate and juniper. Voyager is less sharp, more balanced, more rich, and more interesting. Voyager is also slightly more viscous and is just generally better executed. Voyager is definitely at least a couple of points better, possibly as many as 4 or 5. Yes, Pacific Voyager is considerably better. I'm thinking 5 points better now. The sophistication is just that much greater. Perhaps the difference isn't so severe. The grape sweetness is enjoyable. I'll assign this an 11 for now, but I can envision a 12. I can also envision a lower score. It's really not a very good gin, unfortunately.