gin no. 023 – Foggy Harbor Gin

I’ve got good news for you. Maple Lane Spirits, the distillery that makes this has closed. Yes, that is good news because this gin is awful. I do not recommend it, but it is part of the collection. I made a visit to Uncasville, CT in 2016 and picked up a bottle in a strip mall liquor store. Not long after that the distillery shuttered, mercifully.

I gave this gin every chance to win me over. I tried it neat. I tried it over ice. I tried it with a little tonic. I tried it with A LOT of tonic. I tried it with and without lime.  I tried it on three different days.  I tried it with food. Nothing could make me like this gin.

Let me skip ahead to the punchline.  They put a little bit of black currant in the gin.  Theoretically, this is really cool. Foggy Harbor is small batch and made on a farm in Preston, CT that, among other things, grows black currants. The idea is grand, but the gin isn’t.  On the nose it reminded me of tire rubber.  The alcohol is harsh. But the biggest problem is that there is this off fruit flavor from the currants. The taste is reminiscent of something artificial.  Even a lot of tonic could not overcome this odd flavor.

All that said, I know some people do enjoy this gin. It’s here. You can try it. Just don’t blame me if you don’t like it.