gin no. 003 – Leopold’s American Small Batch Gin

Leopold’s American Small Batch Gin was one of the first bottles of gin I got while traveling. I took a trip to Denver, Colorado for work in early February of 2016. I made sure the trip included one nice dinner and a stop at the liquor store. At the latter, I picked up a bottle of Leopold’s batch #15-29. I fell in love with it right away and it inspired me to seek out new gin whenever I was out of town. This gin is much to blame for the size of the collection.

The process of Leopold’s is different than most gins. They distill each of six botanicals individually and then blend them to achieve the final product. Pomelos, valencia oranges, coriander, cardamom, orris root, and juniper berries come together, resulting in a well balanced gin. There is a clear juniper flavor, but Leopold’s remains modern, giving an impression that is slightly herbaceous, with a dry finish. At only 80 proof it is light enough to sip on neat, and it has an enjoyable flavor all on its own. It mixes beautifully with tonic and is well balanced so as to do well in any gin cocktail.

Sadly, the bottle here at The Juniper Society only has a couple of pours left in it. While Leopold’s is not widely available, it is easier to track down than some of the other small batch gin in the collection. It isn’t hard to find in Texas, California, and of course it’s home state of Colorado, but it can also be found at Total Wine in New York and I’ve run into it in bars around Boston. It is an excellent, well-balanced gin and it helped inspire The Juniper Society collection, so if you have the chance, make sure you give it a try.